Dangerous Alaska Roads & Your Right to Compensation

It appears that within the last week the Seward Highway is proving to live up to its reputation as one of the deadliest highways in Alaska. Sunday afternoon an accident occurred when a truck towing a trailer collided with a semi-truck hauling double trailers, causing the semi to overturn. Luckily, no injuries were reported. Then again on Sunday, there was a deadly collision between a Honda Civic and a double tank fuel truck near Potters Marsh.

In light of these recent collisions, it prompts us to remind all drivers to use extra caution while driving on Alaska roads, despite what may seem like spring conditions. In addition, we would like to take this opportunity to provide a word of caution before entering settlements with insurance companies after a major collision. It is important to not overlook all possible layers of insurance available to compensate you for your losses.

Some insurance adjusters will make a policy limits settlement offer but only under one layer of coverage, when multiple layers may be available. I have personally found this to be true in a number of instances. Clients have approached me when they had been offered an initial policy limits settlement but once we reviewed the facts and the insurance policies involved, we were able to discover additional coverage areas and recover greater amounts for the victims and their families.

Something else to consider, when semi-trucks are involved, there may be product liability and/or maintenance liability associated with the truck or its manufacturer. This can expose additional sources of compensation for victims and families of those injured in vehicle collisions.

Please drive safe this weekend, and as always, we hope you never need us but we’re here if you do.