Maybe you can, but I can’t. I can’t do it. I can’t get on my road bike without thinking, at least a little bit, about getting injured or killed on it. That’s probably because, as a Central and Syracuse New York bicycle accident lawyer, I see some pretty nasty bike injuries, and worse, all the time.
It’s not easy to forget the danger. Just today my cousin, an avid cyclist, was hit and killed by a pickup truck while biking out in Oregon where he lived and worked. As I heard about him, all I could think was, “but for the grace of God, there go I”.
Death seems to be falling all around me, like killer raindrops. I blogged the other day about my brother’s recent sudden death, and now my cousin, only 60 years old.
Hey, I know I am going to die. After all, death runs in my family! I guess dying on a bike is as good a place as any. And although I can’t avoid death, at least not in the long run, I can avoid the financial hardship it might cause my family, especially if I get whacked by some negligent motorist while I’m on my bike. How? By getting a lot of “supplemental underinsured motorist” (SUM) coverage on my auto insurance policy. What?! Insurance on my car to protect me on my BIKE!? How does that make sense?
Well, I can’t buy “bike insurance” to protect me if I get injured or killed on my bike. Why not? Because it doesn’t exist! Maybe one day some smart insurance guy will invent it, but so far, not. But what does exist is SUM coverage on my auto policy, which I purchased for a very, very small premium increase, just a few dollars a month. This will give me, and my family, financial protection should some negligent motorist kill or injury me while I am out there on my bike.
To find out more, read New York Bike accident lawyer Jim Reed’s recent blog post on the topic. Jim discusses Jordan Rapp’s account of his near-fatal bike accident, and how it taught him to look carefully at his car insurance. Yes, that’s right, his car insurance. . . . Just read it, and do it.
Try not to die or get killed out there on your bike. But be ready, just in case. SUM up, dude!
If you want to ask me some questions about SUM coverage, just shoot me an email or give me a call.
Keep safe!
Mike Bersani
Email me at: bersani@mbk-law.com I’d love to hear from you!
Michael G. Bersani, Esq.
mbk-law.com
Central Syracuse NY Bike Accident Lawyers
Michaels Bersani Kalabanka
1-315-253-3293