If you’re involved in an automobile accident and it comes out that you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash, you’re going to have a number of consequences to deal with. You may face jail time, the loss of your driving privileges and other court expenses, but will you also have to pay out of pocket for your vehicle damage or damage to other vehicles? In today’s blog, we explain if car insurance will cover your DUI car accident.
Will Insurance Pay For My DUI Accident?
All automobile insurance policies are a bit different, but liability insurance is largely the same structure for everyone. A standard liability policy provides coverage for any accident in which a policyholder or someone covered under their policy causes an accident as a result of driving in a negligent or reckless manner. Negligent or reckless behaviors include things like speeding, distracted driving or failing to check your blind spot when changing lanes, but it also includes driving under the influence. In other words, your car accident will be covered by your automobile insurance policy even if you were driving drunk.
The only time liability insurance doesn’t cover an accident is when someone intentionally causes a crash. Speeding, distracted driving or drunk driving may increase your risk of an accident, but it doesn’t meet the threshold of intentional. Some automobile insurance providers may argue that drunk driving does constitute intentional conduct, but oftentimes that argument holds little weight in court. In a standard DUI, a car insurance provider will have to pay certain damage limits based on the vehicle damages or injuries cause by a drunk driver.
Depending on the extent of your coverage, you may also face additional lawsuits for causing injuries while driving drunk, but it’s unlikely you’ll have to foot the entire bill out of pocket because the insurance company will likely have to pay their portion for your reckless conduct.
While it may seem like you’re getting off a little easy from a financial standpoint, know that insurance providers will work to recoup those expenses down the road. Because of your actions, they will either charge a much higher amount for your premium going forward, potentially costing your tens of thousands of dollars or more for future coverage, or they may decide you’re too much of a liability and refuse to provide coverage. When this happens, you’ll have to apply for SR-22 insurance.
We dive into SR-22 insurance more in depth on this page, but it’s essentially a policy that’s available to drivers who have been deemed a high-risk on the roads. The monthly premiums are not cheap, so it’s going to cost a pretty penny if you want to continue driving legally if the only insurance you can secure after a DUI is SR-22 insurance.
Your insurance company may cover your DUI accident, but that doesn’t make the experience cheap. Being convicted of a DUI will cost tens of thousands of dollars when all is said and done, so it’s almost always in your best interest to contest the charges as strongly as possible. The best way to do that is with a criminal defense attorney like Avery Appelman by your side. For more information or for help with your case, reach out to our firm at (952) 224-2277.
