skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Advocates Tout New NV Law Protecting Victims of Car Crashes

play audio
Play

Monday, October 7, 2019   

CARSON CITY, Nev. – People injured in car crashes now have some additional rights in Nevada under a new state law, and legal groups want the public to know about them.

Senate Bill 435 took effect last Tuesday, Oct. 1, and requires the insurance company for the person at fault in a crash to disclose the maximum the policy will pay.

According to attorney Graham Galloway, who is on the Nevada Justice Association Board of Governors, this is important so victims who may not have health insurance don't undergo expensive procedures, only to find out that the person who caused the accident only has a $25,000 liability policy, which is the state minimum.

"You don't want to run up a lot of additional medical expenses that are not going to be covered by the other side's insurance," said Galloway. "If you have health insurance, that's not usually an issue. But there's lots of people who don't have health insurance, so they're relying on the 'other side' to pay for their medical expenses."

Previously, plaintiffs would take a case all the way to trial, only to find out that the defendant's insurance policy was worth very little.

Insurance companies that oppose the law argued that, once personal-injury attorneys know the limit of a more generous policy – say, $100,000 – they might be more likely to ask for that amount during negotiations.

A second section of the bill gives a 'do-over' to people who accept a 'low-ball' offer from an insurance company before checking with an attorney.

Galloway said people sometimes underestimate how fast their medical bills will add up.

"Unfortunately, people don't understand how the emergency room works – where you get a hospital bill, a radiology bill, and E.R. physician bill," he explained. "And they think maybe they have a $500 hospital bill, not realizing there are these other bills, and they settle, on the cheap – and then, they're stuck."

Under the new law, victims who agree to a settlement within 30 days of the accident and then change their minds now have 60 days to get an attorney, who may be able to negotiate a better deal.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021