Each state is probably a little different, and not all insurance companies are equal for sure. Its good to hear from someone that has been an adjuster though. I work in finance, and have had 2 different occasions where a customer was involved in a wreck while towing outside of the recommendations, and the insurance company absolutely collected the towing information and used that as leverage. I don't know how the payouts were affected.
One of the customers is in a civil suit now because of the accident due to injuries, and him towing over his limit is at the forefront. This is just something to be aware of and take into consideration.
Yea, attorneys go after any “deep pockets” they can. Regardless of an insured drivers liability, either for trying to tow a 38’ 5th wheel that has 2500# pin weight on his 1600# payload Limited 1500, or for simply looking down and rear-ending someone at a stoplight, the insurance contract promises to “indemnify the covered individual” for a covered loss. It really doesn’t matter the why of how it occured.
There’s a lot of hype on “what your insurance company will do” on forums and really, it’s just hype. Keep your liability and property damage limits high, ask your agent for a “combined single limit” policy (which eliminates the limit for either a liability or a property damage amount, it can be all one or the other up to the limit) and see how much a $1 million liability “umbrella” policy costs.
So there’s lots of ways to protect yourself. Carrying state minimum liability limits and little or no UMBI/Under-insured liability is a very poor financial choice just to save a buck.
And no I’m not an agent... with all the postings about “Bonus Drive” rebates (sponsored by Allstate) I wouldn’t blame someone for thinking so.
