Motorcycle Riders: Look Carefully at Your Insurance Coverage
April 12, 2012 | John T. BuchmanOur unseasonably warm weather and early spring certainly has many motorcycle riders out early this year. All motorcyclists should carefully consider their insurance and review their coverage. It’s easy to think that the coverage someone has on their car will be similar to the coverage they have purchased for their motorcycle. However, this is not true in many respects. Under the Minnesota “No-Fault” Law, motorcycles are not defined as “motor vehicles.” Thus, motorcyclists have significantly fewer rights under the No-Fault Act than those who drive cars, trucks, SUVs, etc. Motorcyclists have to pay extra for optional benefits that are required in every automobile policy. For example, motorcyclists have to pay extra for medical expense, wage loss and other similar benefits. A recent Court of Appeals decision has shown another area where some insurance companies have included provisions in their policy that provide less coverage for the dollar than policies provided by other insurance companies. In Farmers Insurance Exchange vs. Eschen; Mike Brown paid for $100,000 in underinsured or UIM coverage for his motorcycle. He was tragically killed when he was hit by a car driven by Gary Arens. Mr. Arens had only $50,000 in coverage. If Mr. Brown had been driving or riding in a car, his family would have received $100,000 in…
Read MoreBuckle Up Campaign
March 28, 2012 | Jon P. EricksonOver the last few months I have written a number of entries on the importance of “buckling up.” The March 27, 2012, Minneapolis Star Tribune, had yet another article on just that. The headline reads in bold letters STRONGER SEAT BELT LAW EQUALS FEWER DEAD. I encourage you to read the full article. It’s relatively short, but very informative. Here is a link to that article – Star Tribune State Local Buckle Up The study was done to see if the “primary seat belt laws” actually were effective. The study done by the University of Minnesota supports that it is. Since the passage of the law in 2009 there have been 68 fewer deaths involving vehicle occupants, 320 fewer injuries, and 432 fewer moderate injuries. “The stronger seat belt law is keeping a lot of Minnesotans out of hospitals and morgues” to quote Lee Munnich the director of the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety. The study also found that since the primary seat belt law took effect that “observed seat belt use” has increased from 87 to 93 percent. We’ve been showing you how seat belt use saves lives, reduces injuries and ultimately saves us all money in medical bills, higher insurance costs and the like. We again take this opportunity to…
Read MoreElder and Adult Family Mediation
March 20, 2012 | Elizabeth A. SchadingFamily harmony can be jeopardized when difficult decisions need to be made and adult siblings and parents don’t agree. Maybe you think your Mom should move into assisted living. Or, maybe you’re uncomfortable with Dad’s driving. You might think that it’s time to sell the family cabin, but your sister loves the cabin and can’t bear to part with it and all the memories. Where do you go when the people most like you – those sharing your genes – and with whom you have more history than anyone else in the world, can’t see eye to eye? The legal system isn’t your best option if you’re hoping to continue those family ties after the issue is resolved. A better option is mediation. Mediation allows decisions to be made by the people most affected. It’s a confidential process which allows for creativity but requires compromise. A trained mediator can facilitate a discussion with the ultimate goal of preserving family relationships while resolving the complex interests of all involved. If decisions are being made for and sometimes with an elderly parent, that parent is going to want to preserve as much independence as possible. Adult children might have competing concerns about safety and appropriate care. And then there’s money – who has it, who…
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