Insurers, Trial Attorneys Split On Hit-And-Run Coverage
By Pete Brush
New York, September 7, 2012
A looming decision by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on whether to sign legislation that would see many New Yorkers buy extra protection from hit-and-run car accidents has triggered a fight between an insurance group, which says the bill limits choice, and lawyers who say the real worry is profit-oriented.
"It's one of the few insurance products that you actually buy for yourself. It is one of the few insurance products that actually benefits the consumer. I don't think there is a lot of auto insurance out there that works like that," plaintiffs' attorney Dan Flanzig, managing partner of N.Y. based Flanzig & Flanzig LLP, said Thursday.
Flanzig, who has a large practice representing auto collision victims, expressed bafflement that the insurance industry would raise questions about consumer choice in rejecting legislation that on its face would appear to generate more premium dollars. Anyone holding such coverage is protected whether they are in a car, on a
bicycle or on foot, according to Flanzig, who said he has such coverage primarily because he bikes in New York City.
"If I'm hit by a taxicab that doesn't have insurance, I'm protected," Flanzig said. Click here to read to read the full article in Law360.com