Legal Question in Personal Injury in Wisconsin

Re: Personal umbrella policy for car insurance

This is a personal decision that everyone needs to make for themselves, depending on the amount of their assets and the protection which they feel comfortable with. I almost always recommend that people add personal umbrellas to their policies for the added protection, especially given the relatively low cost. You should shop around however, to see if you can locate policies which also add increased coverage for uninisured motorist and underinsured motorist protection to also cover yourself or others in your household, or passengers in a vehicle. There are some caps on damage amounts in Wisconsin, but those relate to death cases as to maximum limits on loss of society and companioinship claims. There are some other caps too, but most will not apply to a personal umbrella situation. The big concern for you would be if you or someone covered by your insurance caused an accident which resulted in catastrophic damages and long term care and long-term lost wages or loss of future earning capacity.

Re: Personal umbrella policy for car insurance

I highly recommend it and that you add a "UM/UIM" rider. The latter protects you and your family from uninsured and underinsured motorists - the worst drivers. I have that on my umbrella.

The damage caps in Wisconsin you may be thinking of relate to claims against governmental entities, healthcare providers and for wrongful death. However, if you or a family member negligently cause a permanent injury to someone, you could potentially be liable for extremely high amounts. Thus, to protect your assets, and more importantly yourself and your family with the rider I spoke of, you should have the personal umbrella.