A single vehicle accident in Downey resulted in four people being ejected from the car.
The accident happened at about 2:02 a.m. on Saturday at the intersection of Rosecrans Ave. and Lakewood Blvd. The car was eastbound on Rosecrans when its driver lost control and hit the curb and a wrought iron fence. The car then hit a tree and flipped over.
All five occupants were transported to local hospitals. One of the injury victims is reported to be in critical condition. The victims range in age from 17 to 25.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the driver was speeding. It has not been reported whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
With only one driver at fault for the accident, unless the driver had umbrella coverage, there is a strong likelihood that the driver will not have enough liability insurance to cover the four passengers’ injury claims. Given the ages of the parties, the driver unlikely had umbrella coverage. Hopefully, the passengers are covered under their own or their parents’ underinsured motorist insurance policies. Underinsured motorist coverage kicks in and applies to an accident if the amount of the at-fault party’s liability insurance policy is insufficient. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is an optional coverage which a driver must elect to purchase.
At McGee, Lerer & Associates, we recommend that everyone have uninsured (which is the same as underinsured) motorist coverage of at least $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident. That is referred to as a “100/300” policy. Even better, we recommend $250,000 per person, $500,000 per accident (a “250/500” policy). You should check your car insurance policy and verify if you have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, and how much. If you don’t have enough, call your agent today to increase it. The cost to increase the coverage is low.