We as a law firm are concerned about ensuring that you are adequately protected in the unfortunate event that you are involved in a motor vehicle accident. Some motorists may be travelling on the road with only the minimum required amount of insurance in Alberta, which is $200,000.00. They might even have no insurance, which would result in a maximum coverage for your injuries of $200,000, as the Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund would step in to provide the necessary coverage. This may seem like a lot of money, but if you are involved in a catastrophic motor vehicle accident, this amount of insurance will be vastly deficient.
This is why, we recommend that you contact your insurance company to purchase an optional piece of coverage known as the Family Protection Endorsement. You may already have this coverage, but it is not typically part of your standard automobile policy.
At this point, you might be wondering why we want you to purchase this extra piece of coverage. The SEF 44 Endorsement provides you, as well as your dependent family members, with excess insurance to cover any damages sustained in a motor vehicle accident in excess of $200,000, up to your own policy limits. In effect, it provides you with coverage up to the maximum of your own policy limits, whatever that may be. If you have the exact same amount of coverage as the other person involved in a collision, the Family Protection Endorsement is not activated.
This is probably best explained by way of example. Let’s imagine that Michael Scofield is involved in a motor vehicle accident with Fernando Sucre. Michael is not at fault for this accident, but Fernando is. Fernando has insurance of the minimum allowable in Alberta, which is $200,000. Michael has insurance of $1,000,000. In the event that Michael sustained $350,000 worth of damage in the accident, Fernando’s insurance policy would pay the first $200,000. Beyond that, Michael’s own policy would kick in to provide indemnity of the remaining $150,000.
The above is a simplified example, as you would need the skillful personal injury lawyers at Assiff Law to assist in making a claim against both Fernando’s insurance company, as well as Michael’s. We would be there each and every step of the way to provide you with practical and informative advice.
