WILMINGTON -- A Wilmington family is on the brink of losing everything. Four family members were injured in a recent auto accident and the woman who caused the wreck didn't have enough insurance to cover the family's medical bills.
Emelia Williams was injured in an auto accident. She said, "I lost my good job, I lost my health insurance, I lost everything."
To look at Williams you might not know anything was wrong. But this past summer she had to be airlifted from the scene of an auto accident in Columbus County.
Due to severe nerve damage, she's lost the use of her left arm. Her daughter Valerie, just three-years-old at the time of the accident, had her skull cracked open and her arm broken in two places.
Valerie said, "When I wake up every day, it'll be hurting, and I'll be rubbing it."
The elderly woman that T-boned their car had insurance, but only carried $60,000 in coverage for medical expenses. That didn't come close to covering the Williams' medical bills, which total over $100,000.
"I felt like I'd been punished for somebody else's fault," Williams said. "I had my good job, I was doing all right, I was doing OK. Now the job that I used to do, I can't do it any more."
She lost her job as a nursing assistant at New Hanover Regional Medical Center. She also lost her health insurance because she couldn't afford the $500 monthly payments for COBRA. She's now seven months behind on her mortgage, in danger of losing her home.
Williams says she just can't understand why she's the one paying the price when she didn't cause the accident. Attorneys say it happens more often than you think.
Attorney Stuart Smith said, "I would say in a third of our cases, there is not insurance available, or there is not enough for their medical bills."
In North Carolina the law only requires drivers to carry $30,000 of insurance for bodily injury or death of one person in an accident. If more than one person is injured, the law requires only $60,000 worth of coverage.
Experts recommend that people carry underinsured motorist insurance for events just like this. They also recommend getting an umbrella policy in case you cause a catastrophic accident.
If your insurance isn't enough to cover someone's medical bills, they may go after your personal assets.
Smith said, "Particularly when the person is injured even more, and the $30,000 is all that's available, it really puts that injured person in the position, I might want to take their house, I might want to take their car."
Unfortunately Williams did not have underinsured motorist coverage to cover her medical expenses. But she did have long-term disability coverage from her job at the hospital, which is providing the family some income.
The family thinks it's unfair that the law requires people to carry so little insurance. The minimum coverage limits were set back in 2000 and despite how inadequate they are for serious accidents like this DMV officials know of no efforts to increase the limits.
Answers to Anne's Question
Well I am not very sure about the girls' parents they did however show up at the hospital that morning it happened and were cussing and raising hell. One of my best friends said she heard her dad say in the waiting room that he was going to wear her a** out,etc. etc. along with a bunch of F words and such as that. So from what I was told by my best friend that was there for me; her parents are just pieces of trash! They saw me and my daughter both back in the ER and never came to speak or say anything! So that told me all I needed to know what wonderful role models she has had in her life! My mom works for an attorney and has worked for the same one for over 25 years he was there at her hearing to see what she would do at her hearing plead guilty and so forth. He told me since I couldn't go that she did plead guilty but all she got was probation and fines,etc. how wonderful our justice system is sometimes! The phone number and address that was listed on the police report I guess from her license the trooper had on the accident report was either false or what not because the phone # did not work and the address was not where she lived or heard of there.
Pretty much nothing can/could be done to the parents as I am sure they have NOTHING either and the car was supposively registered in her name with Allstate listed on the registration as her insurance company which was also not true she had only called for a quote but never purchased the policy! I don't understand how she was even able to keep tags on a BRAND NEW car that I am sure the finance company will never get reimbursed back for either these people were real winners!
It's very sad what me and my daughter have went through like I said my daughter is tramatized I can't even drive past that road without her screaming bloody murder or even show friends pictures of my truck in pieces it upsets her terribly it has almost been 2 years but the memories are fresh and I am sure will forever be in her mind! She should have never had to go through that!
Thanks for reading my story and for the suggestions,etc. I have tried everything though. I hired Todd Rodzik from Bain and Rodzik they are wonderful!!!!!!!! They sued my insurance company under my uninsured motorist policy. All my doctor bills and my daughters too of course, medications, physical therapy, shoe insoles, vehicle loan paid off in full, and pain and suffering was paid to me from MY insurance company. Thank God I have my insurance license and knew what I was doing when I signed my insurance papers; I suggest to everyone that reads this; CHECK with your agent; call them look at your papers and see if you do have the underinsured/uninsured policy; it can mean so much! I hate Mrs. Williams did not have this coverage!