As a personal injury lawyer, I’ve seen people less concerned about SEF 44 family protection endorsement until they experience a serious accident. Over the years, we have seen people experience severe motor vehicle accidents having minimum insurance coverage. I understand that the thought of experiencing a severe accident never sweeps your mind on a regular day.
We, as a law firm, stay cautious and try to prevent our clients from making the same mistakes. And based on our experience, we can tell you this – SEF 44 in Alberta is very supportive of motor vehicle accidents. If you suffer an accident and apply for accident claims, then the motor vehicle accident Fund would immediately respond to provide the necessary coverage.
But two things can happen here depending on whether you have insurance coverage or not. The first case – you do not have insurance coverage. In this case, your maximum coverage would be $200,000. And if you do have insurance coverage, your coverage will be beyond $200,000, depending on your injury severity.
SEF44 is not included as a part of your regular auto insurance coverage policy. So, in this article, we are going to break down all about family protection endorsement and why it is essential for everyone.
What is SEF 44 and Family Protection Endorsement?
If you or a member of your household is injured in a motor vehicle accident caused by an uninsured or underinsured motorist, or if you are engaged in a hit and run, you can then utilize your own SEF 44 endorsement to cover any claim deficit. Standard Endorsement Form (SEF 44) and family protection endorsement refer to the same auto insurance coverage policy provided but only when you experience an accident and in need of motor vehicle accident coverage. The basis of this insurance policy is to cover your accidental costs when it is claimed. All personal injury lawyers suggest Albertan motorists include this optional coverage along with their auto insurance policy. If you want to know more, then call your insurance broker and ask for a quote to envelop SEF 44 with your other insurance policy.
Who does SEF 44 Cover?
SEF 44 covers your accident-related claims if you have experienced an accident and if you have claimed coverage for your accident. You can enable this optional auto insurance policy so that your family can remain safe without having to think about who should pay for the accident coverage in the first place.
The conditions for the eligibility claimants are defined under Section 2 of the Endorsement (the ‘Insuring Agreement’). The eligible claimant can be –
- The insured person who sustained the injury from an accident
- Any other person who falls into the jurisdiction of the accident and who can also pursue legal action against the at-fault motorist for the damages like – death and physical injury caused by the driver
Ideally, SEF 44 in Alberta should be in every motorists’ checklist of insurance policy as it covers more than $200,000 in case you’ve incurred a serious accident. All personal injury lawyers recommend it as a backup just for the worst case.
What is the Importance of SEF 44 Family Protection Endorsement?
SEF 44 coverage is a safe way to ensure accident-related coverage if you are a frequent traveler. In many areas of the United States, the minimum liability coverage is as low as $25,000, which is way lower than the coverage in Alberta.
Then again, there is a good side to have SEF 44 coverage. If you get into an accident for someone else’s mistake, you can have access to your SEFF 44 family protection Insurance for your accident no matter wherever in the world it happens.
How Can I Access the SEF 44 Family Protection Insurance?
SEF 44 family protection insurance can be accessed through your insurance company. The best way to do that is to get the coverage is through an experienced personal injury lawyer.
An experienced lawyer should surely understand the gravity of the situation and deal effectively with the nuances of the law while also exploring all the avenues to ensure your compensation.
In What Situations do You Need a SEF 44 Coverage?
Your assessment for the insurance coverage in an accident should be categorized into 3 scenarios. Frankly, these are the situations for which you need to have a SEF 44 –
- The injurer has less liability insurance than your estimated claim.
- The injurer has no kind of liability insurance policy.
- The injurer hits and flees the scene, i.e., a hit-and-run case.
The current minimum liability insurance claim is $200,000. So, if more than one person is injured in an accident that is your fault, the claimed money shall be divided among the injured people. But in this case, with no liability insurance, the injured people cannot obtain more compensation from the other party. In such cases, one endorsement for family protection can alleviate a lot of problems.
If the other party that caused the accident has no liability insurance, it only allows the injured person to claim for a maximum of $200,000. However, the claim can only be made by filling up a form of the Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund. In the worst-case scenario, the maximum coverage is split if multiple persons in the proportion of their injuries inflicted from the accident.
In the case of a hit-and-run scenario, the perpetrator is hard to find. And so, the victims need a way to compensate for their injury. In this case, if the injured people have no liability insurance, they cannot claim for more than $200,000 via Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund. Furthermore, the money is also divided based on the proportion of injury of each person. So, a SEF 44 works best in this kind of situation.
Is There a Limitation of the SEF 44 Family Protection Insurance?
Every SEF 44 coverage comes with 2 major limitations. These are –
- The coverage is only up to the maximum limit of the third party’s insurance coverage limit. If the injurer and the injured person both have a coverage of $1 Million, only then you can make a claim of $1 Million. Also, if your SEF 44 coverage is the same as the injurer’s liability coverage, then you cannot make a SEF 44 claim.
- The insurance companies only need to pay money in excess of the injurer’s liability coverage, not pay in excess of your claimed value. This makes the SEF 44 endorsement very favorable for insurance companies.
What is Accident Rating Waiver Endorsement?
SEF 39 or Accident Rating Waiver Endorsement protects the at-fault driver’s rating and claims free discount provided that it is your first at-fault accident since purchasing the endorsement.
Generally, if you are in an accident as an at-fault driver, your insurance company will lower your driver rating and lose your free discount that was added to your policy. But, if you have purchased a SEF39, it ensures that your ratings and discount claims are restored, provided it is your first at-fault accident after purchasing or renewing the endorsement.
Family Protection Endorsement in Alberta: What You Need To Know
The following describes the Alberta insurance agreement for the SEF 44 Family Protection Endorsement:
“It is understood and agreed that the Insurer shall indemnify each eligible claimant for the amount that such eligible claimant is legally entitled to recover from an inadequately insured motorist as compensatory damages in respect of bodily injury or death sustained by an insured person by accident arising out of the use or operation of an automobile” (in consideration of the premium charged and subject to the provisions hereof).
We can understand if this initially seems unclear because there is a lot of information to process.
Simply put, family protection coverage protects your finances if you and a family member are involved in an accident and the other party’s (the party at fault) policy limits are lower than your family protection coverage limits.
Is SEF 44 Mandatory in Alberta?
SEF 44 is not mandatory in Alberta, but it is highly recommended because motor vehicle accidents are pretty common in Alberta. Many people tend to move on with less liability coverage thinking that safe driving will be enough to save them. But, in reality, SEF 44 coverage is crucial for your recovery and alleviates your family’s tension for coverage in case you’ve sustained a serious injury.
Takeaways
The above gives a simplified view of how an accident can create additional worries for you and your family. So, it is important to plan beforehand and purchase a SEF 44 family protection endorsement for personal safety. Besides, a good personal injury lawyer can also help you to recover the compensation of your losses through a legal battle.
Frequently Asked Question
Check out the below queries if you too have any confusions in your mind to clear up:
What is Family Protection Endorsement SEF 44?
The family protection endorsement SEF 44 is a kind of support created especially to provide insurance protection to the named insureds and their families whenever they need coverage.
To simply put, SEF 44 basically covers all your accident-related compensations in case where you have experienced an accident and have claimed for compensation. This endorsement can play a quite crucial role if you get severely injured from an accident.
Do I Need SEF 44 Endorsement in Alberta?
Of course, you need SEF 44 endorsement. In fact, it is one of the most valuable and essential things that every person should have.
We all know how unpredictable life can be. Hence, although it is optional, one should still get it thinking about the security and benefit of the future.
Is SEF 44 Mandatory in Alberta?
No, it is not mandatory in Alberta. However, it is strongly recommended as hardly any day passes where we don’t get to hear an accident didn’t occur—with the motorbike accident at the top list.
After all, these coverages play a crucial role in your recovery by lessening your family’s pressures to a great extent, especially if you are severely injured.
What will Accident Insurance Cover?
Accident insurance covers plenty of things, such as paying from the medical treatment to any other extra expenditures that one may have to face after encountering a deadly accident.
