Personal Injury Law

Dangerous! Sacramento Bee Finds Many College-Aged Students Not Insured

By Moseley Collins, Esq.

Accidents happen to people of all ages. Adults take brutal slip and falls, teens suffer from devastating spinal cord injuries, young adults get into severe car accidents. No matter what your age, you should always have insurance to protect you in these situations. Even if it is someone else?s fault, they may not have insurance or enough insurance to cover your injuries. You should make sure you are protected.

I was reading an article in the Sacramento Bee today that spoke of the lack of insurance in college-aged students. At my Law Office, I am constantly around injuries and accidents. I know how devastating it can be to be injured by someone else?s negligence or misconduct, and then not be able to receive compensation because they and you do not have adequate insurance.

The Sacramento Bee article stated that one-third of 18 to 24-year olds have no health insurance. This is a big threat in the case that these young adults get badly injured. We all know that teens and even college-aged kids think that they are invincible, but it is often this age that people suffer the most life-altering injuries, such as spinal cord injuries.

For health insurance, most family health care plans will cover a dependent child while they are in school or up to 23-years old. Many colleges also carry their own health clinics and health insurance policies that are usually significantly cheaper than normal health insurance policies. Our nearest UC college, UC Davis, made health insurance mandatory for all of its students after a study revealed that almost 40% of students were uninsured or underinsured.

As for auto insurance, it is illegal to drive without it. If you are pulled over or in an accident without auto insurance, chances are that your license will be taken away. Find yourself in a serious auto accident without insurance and you could be facing much more serious consequences than a revoked license; you could end up with thousands of dollars worth of hospital bills that you are unable to pay. Again, there are insurance policies for college students and low income earners that are much more affordable than the average auto insurance policy. Insure yourself, and make sure to include uninsured/underinsured coverage.

Protect yourself no matter what age...

For the full Sacramento Bee article, please click here.

Full post as published by Sacramento Injury Lawyer Blog on September 16, 2007 (boomark / email).