Sadly, for the second time in two weeks, an innocent driver was killed by a wrong-way driver on I-490 in Rochester.  You can read about it here.

Although nothing can truly compensate the families impacted by this senseless tragedy, it is often the case that the wrong-way driver in these situations has only the minimum amount of liability insurance–if he or she has any at all.  When that happens, the injured victims may be able to receive compensation from their own insurance policy under a provision known as Supplemental Underinsured Motorist  or “SUM” coverage.

But, the tragedy may be compounded by the fact that an injured victim may only carry the minimum amount of SUM coverage.  That is why I always tell my friends, family and clients how important it it to make sure you review your automobile coverage and make sure that you have an amount of SUM coverage equal to your underlying liability coverage.  This is a part of your policy that you’ve probably overlooked, but it is perhaps one of the most important parts because it covers you in the event that you are seriously injured by a careless driver who has only minimal insurance.

Here is an article we wrote a few years back that explains how this coverage works.  I urge you to take a look, and make sure that you have sufficient coverage.