West Virginia Car Insurance Quotes

In West Virginia, you must prove that your vehicle is insured with the minimum requirements or pay the uninsured motor vehicle fee of $500 (UMV) before you can buy license plates or decals.  The minimum requirements in the state of Virginia are 20/40/10 coverage.  This means $20,000 per person to a total of $40,000 per accident in bodily injury liability and $10,000 in property damage liability.  All drivers in West Virginia must carry the proof of insurance or UMV with them at all times.  If you do not have insurance or did not pay the UMV fee, your drivers license will be suspended as well as your vehicle registration.  To reinstate, there is a $500 fee and you must file a financial responsibility certificate with the DMV for three years, this is called a SR-22.  In West Virgina you are also required to carry uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage with the same minimums as your liability coverage. It is recommended that you carry higher coverage than the minimum requirements.
The state of West Virginia follows a tort system that is based on proportional comparative fault at 50%.  If you are found to contribute 50% or more to the cause of the “crash” you are barred from collecting anything from the other vehicle owner for your injuries.  Each person who is found at fault in an accident is responsible for either all or a percentage of the damages, which are usually handled by their insurance company.  Sometimes it is difficult to determine who is at fault in an accident and the insurance claims adjusters will use experts to reconstruct what happened to determine what actually happened.  Fault may be assigned by percentage to both drivers.  The adjuster will then request information regarding injuries or expenses incurred due to the accident  Remember that their goal is to protect the insurance company and they will not pay more than what they consider the fair amount.  Provide all the information that is asked for and if there are expenses that you are not asked about you should point them out to the adjuster for consideration.  When an offer for settlement is made remember that there is room to negotiate which either you or your attorney can do.