Should I buy full tort or limited tort? What does full tort mean?

Buying car or motorcycle insurance in Pennsylvania can be confusing. What is full tort? What is limited tort? What is UIM/UM coverage? What is stacking? Are some of the questions you may be asking yourself when choosing insurance for your vehicle.

This article is designed as a brief overview of the distinctions and advantages of selecting Full Tort coverage over Limited Tort. If you are unsure about which to choose, this article will help you understand which option is right for you and the basic implications of each choice.

What is Limited Tort

The first thing you are likely to notice when looking at the Limited Tort option is that it is cheaper. Specifically, Limited Tort options are roughly 15% cheaper than their Full Tort counterparts. These savings, however, come at a cost.

Depending on the nature of your injury, by selecting the Limited Tort option, you are limiting the rights of the named insured and other people who may be covered under your insurance policy, such as friends, relatives, and other loved ones. Limited Tort coverage does not allow a party who is injured in a car accident to recover for pain and suffering, or any other non-economic loss, unless they suffer a life altering injury. In other words, by selecting Limited Tort, you are limiting your potential recovery to only certain medical expenses, lost earnings, property damage, and other out-of-pocket costs. You cannot, however, recover for pain and suffering, which is typically the biggest part of any claim.

What is Full Tort?

By selecting the Full Tort option, you are able to recover for all of the economic damages listed above (medical expenses, lost earnings, property damage, etc.) in addition to pain and suffering without regard to the severity of the injuries suffered.

This may not seem like a big deal at first, but as any experienced attorney can tell you, having Full Tort coverage on your insurance policy could mean the difference of thousands of dollars in any settlement or award.

Recommendation

If at all possible, it is the recommendation of Freundlich & Littman, LLC, that you obtain Full Tort coverage for your insurance policy. We understand that the difference in price may be prohibitive for some people; however, when examining the legal implications of selecting Limited Tort versus Full Tort, it is clear that Full Tort is the best option to protect your legal rights.

While the above is by no means an exhaustive examination of full and limited tort laws in Pennsylvania, it is a breif overview, if you are interested in reading the law, more information can be found at PA Tort Options.

Here at Freundlich & Littman, LLC, we are intimately familiar with handling both Full Tort and Limited Tort insurance policies as they relate to car accidents and any other type of claim. If you, or a loved one, has been involved in a car accident, please contact us for a free consultation to discuss your rights.

We can be reached by phone at (215) 545 – 8500 or by email at info@FreundlichandLittman.com.