Earlier this summer a Buffalo-area physician was charged with drunken driving in the hit-and-run death of a young woman who was struck while skateboarding home in a suburban neighborhood from her job.

On a late Friday night 18-year-old Alexandria Rice was skateboarding on the road when a BMW allegedly driven by an area doctor struck her. Shortly after, Rice was pronounced dead at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, in 2009, 4,091 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States, and another 59,000 pedestrians were injured. More than half of these fatalities occurred at nighttime. Alcohol-impairment—either for the driver or for the pedestrian—was reported in 48 percent of the traffic crashes that resulted in pedestrian deaths. (more…)

Tags: auto insurance, hit and run, insurance, pedestrian accidents, personal injury protection, PIP limit

Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and Warren Buffett have at least one characteristic in common besides their fame and fortune. All three of these men were among the best in their respective professions at anticipating what was about to happen, rather than reacting to conditions or circumstances. This is the same approach everyone should take when evaluating their insurance needs. After one sustains a loss or damage from storm damage, a collision or a liability claim, it is then too late to obtain sufficient coverage to ease the financial blow. (more…)

Tags: Additional Personal Injury Protection, APIP, insurance, insurance premium, insurance primer, liability claim, OBEL, Optional Basic Economic Loss, SUM, Supplemental Uninsured Motorist coverage

In these turbulent economic times, many of us are concerned about protecting our assets, whether it is the home, savings for a child’s education, or a dwindling retirement account.  We need no reminder that life holds few guarantees and to further protect ourselves we have insurance on our lives, our homes, our cars, and the list goes on.  But when was the last time that you (more…)

Tags: asset protection, insurance, insurance limits, insurance policy riders, Supplemental Uninsured Motorist coverage, umbrella policies