Using insurance when you need it.

While people understand the purpose of insurance and its role in protecting us against disasters, we may be reluctant to use those benefits when the time arises.  Probably because we are in the midst of disaster far less than from a standpoint of safety, people are hesitant when claiming for injuries.

A few years ago, we visited a friend in grad school.  He happened to be close to the beach, so we decided to make a short day trip out to the water.  But our trip was cut short at the major interchange right before a tunnel.  At a standstill from the traffic, someone wasn’t paying attention and ran into the car in front of them.  We ended up being part of a four car accident, with us the second to last car to be struck.  The last car ran into the rear of the third car, which hit our car’s rear-end and pushed us into the first car’s rear.

Getting pinball’ed like that wasn’t fun, and needless to say, the accident put a damper on the rest of our day.  Once we were back home, I noticed some shoulder tightness.  During the accident, I was slightly turned around talking to the other guy in the backseat.  After a few days, I decided to call my friend.

He said that his insurance would cover the medical bills of any passengers in the vehicle, including compensation due to whiplash.  After speaking with his insurance representative, I scheduled a physical therapy appointment to work out the kink.  It had something to do with the angle I was at the time of the accident, but the muscle issues were resolved after a few weeks of training.

As painful and debilitating accidents can be, it’s a comforting feeling knowing that insurance premium you pay each month will be there to absorb the shock of the event and get you back on track.