On December 13, 2012, the Ohio General Assembly took a much needed step toward advancing injured victims’ rights by passing HB 278 which increases the minimum financial requirement for auto insurance. After 43 years of fighting for this change, the Ohio Association for Justice was the lead advocate for this legislative enactment.
If injured in a car accident, the law will now allow you to seek repair or replacement value of your car and have care and treatment with your doctors until you have fully recovered to your pre-accident condition up to $25,000.
More specifically, the new law increases the minimum bodily injury coverage from $12,500 to $25,000 per person and from $25,000 to $50,000 per occurrence. In addition, the minimum property damage coverage will increase from $7,500 to $25,000.
Despite the new law providing additional protection to those injured in car accidents, please remember that these new limits only reflect the legal minimum coverage that Ohio drivers must now carry. Oftentimes the injuries sustained by you or your family exceed these limits and it is therefore important that you maintain significant uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on your personal policy as well.
Should you or your family be involved in an accident, be sure to protect your rights and consult an attorney immediately. The attorneys of Plevin & Gallucci have been representing injured individuals in Ohio for more than 30 years. For a no-obligation consultation, contact us today.
