OK, first off I'm not a paid spokesman
but I insure with State Farm like many of us here simply because of their great rates but here's a true story for you folks about how cool the folks at SF really are. My girlfriend's dad Robert got broadsided by a speeding motorist while attempting to cross a 4 lane divided highway about 3 years ago, fortunately he was insured with State Farm. Technically he was to blame but the other vehicle's speed had much to do with the accident. Fortunately there were no injuries, everyone walked away from the crash. Robert's MPV had damage to the left front quarter panel and bumper but otherwise it was drivable. The other car had enough damage to require towing but that had more to do with minor sheet metal contact with the front tire; the police arrived on-scene and took a report but issued no citations. Now, skip forward to last year, Robert got served with a lawsuit "“ the passenger in the other vehicle claimed she sustained severe injuries in the crash resulting in nerve damage and loss of mobility to her shoulder. I'll leave out all the other nonsense she claimed but suffice it to say she was asking for $350,000. in assorted damages "“ Robert's liability insurance only covered $100,000 per injury, $300,000 total per claim commonly referred to as 100/300 coverage. Obviously if she won her case he'd be out $250,000! State Farm provided a great attorney who did his homework and really did a professional job defending Robert, eventually SF made a counteroffer to the plaintiff which she refused forcing the case to trial. Now, here's the really cool thing State Farm did "“ the week before the trial they stepped up and informed Robert that since they were handling the case, they would cover any damages he incurred as a result of any judgment levied against him, regardless of the amount! They said they did this because he had been a good customer of theirs and because he had cooperated with them during the process. We were all shocked, I've never heard of an insurance company offering to do anything like this and as I'm sure you can all imagine it was a tremendous relief to Robert and the family. As for the trial, it went well and as many of you may suspect the plaintiff's injuries were overstated (if they existed at all) and were easily refuted by the medical examiner State Farm furnished. The net award to her was $30K "“ which the other attorney will get his share of before she sees anything and I don't pity her in the least. So, for the record I'll stay a State Farm customer they proved themselves to be a stand-up company when it counted.
-Jim
-Jim
