Insurance coverage when an injury caused by family member

Ben Glass

Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 320

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The tragic death of a 14-year-old Fairfax County girl on Wednesday in a car accident in which her sister was the driver raises a question that is often asked by families: can a recovery be made in the case for the family's loss even though it was a family member who apparently was at fault in the accident?

The Washington Post reported that Olivia Aull was killed on Jermantown Road after the car in which her sister was driving crashed.

The answer to that question is that "yes" a claim and recovery can likely be made against the family's automobile insurance policy. There was a time in America when family members could not bring claims against other family members. That was long ago however and now the car insurance policy that you buy to protect your family also will provide some small measure of compensation when tragedies like this occur.

You should check your own car insurance policy and perhaps talk to your insurance agent to make sure that your family is fully protected against even the carelessness of other family members. Car insurance is relatively inexpensive and the more you buy the less expensive it gets, per dollar.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.