After 20 Years and Hundreds of Cases, There Is One Pattern That Never Changes
Joe Bowers has spent more than two decades working in personal injury law, first learning the industry before becoming an attorney, and then spending the past 12 years working exclusively in Cecil County, Maryland. In that time, he has handled hundreds upon hundreds of accident cases that resolved for the full limits of the available insurance policy. Cases worth $30,000. Cases worth $300,000. Cases worth over a million dollars. And across every single one of them, there is one thing they all have in common. The settlement was never enough.
That is not a complaint about outcomes. In most of those cases, getting the full policy limits was a hard-fought win. But the uncomfortable truth is that the injuries, the lost wages, and the disruption to those people’s lives were worth more than what the insurance company was required to pay. Understanding why that happens, and what you can do about it before you ever need to make a claim, is what this episode is all about.
What Does It Mean to Resolve a Case for Policy Limits?
When you buy auto insurance, you choose a coverage amount. If you carry $100,000 in liability coverage, that is the maximum your insurance company will pay out on a claim made against you. That cap is called the policy limit.
When Joe says a case resolved for the policy limits, it means his team successfully recovered every single dollar the at-fault driver’s insurance was obligated to pay. That sounds like a complete win, and in many respects it is. The problem is that in virtually every one of these cases, the injuries his client suffered were worth more than that ceiling allowed for.
So what do you do when a case is worth more than the available coverage?
Why Going to Trial Does Not Always Get You More Money
The instinctive response is to file a lawsuit, take it to trial, and let a jury decide. If the case is worth more, get a bigger verdict. It sounds straightforward. In practice, the math rarely works out that way.
Filing a lawsuit alone adds roughly $250 in court costs between the filing fee and process server. From there, depositions add hundreds more. Expert witnesses, often the surgeons or treating physicians whose testimony is essential to proving serious injury, cost $10,000 to $20,000 just to appear and testify in court. Video depositions run $10,000 or more. By the time a case goes to a jury, litigation expenses can easily reach tens of thousands of dollars, all of which comes out of the client’s recovery.
Here is the part most people do not expect: even if the jury comes back with a verdict far above the policy limit, the insurance company typically only writes a check for their policy amount. Joe described a case where the policy limit was $100,000 and the jury verdict came in at $600,000. Despite that gap, the client’s recovery was still capped by the coverage in place. All of those additional litigation costs still had to be accounted for.
In most cases, settling for the full policy limit is the financially sound decision because collecting beyond that limit in real life, from an individual defendant who likely has no substantial assets, is rarely realistic.
The Surprising Commonality Between Every Policy Limits Case
Whether the settlement was $30,000 or $500,000, whether the case settled quickly or went to trial, every single one of these policy limits cases shared the same core problem: the coverage was not enough to fully compensate what the injured person had been through.
That is the lesson that two decades of practice has made crystal clear. And it is the reason Joe spends so much time talking about auto insurance coverage before anyone is ever in an accident.
Your Own Policy Is the Most Important Number in the Equation
When you get into a serious accident, you have almost no control over how much insurance the other driver carries. You cannot choose it. You cannot change it after the fact. The only number you can control is your own.
Maryland’s minimum liability limit is $30,000. Delaware’s minimum is $25,000. Pennsylvania’s is only $15,000. If the driver who hits you is carrying the state minimum and leaves you unable to work for two months, that small number may be all that stands between your family and a real financial crisis, unless you carry strong uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy.
Joe’s recommendation is direct: pull out your declaration page, find the column for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and ask yourself honestly whether that number is enough. Do not even factor in medical bills yet. Just ask whether that coverage would keep your household afloat if you were taken out of work for a month or two. Could you cover the mortgage? The rent? Health insurance? Everything else that does not stop just because you are hurt?
If the answer is no, or even uncertain, it is time to talk to your insurance agent about increasing that coverage.
A Hidden Problem That Shows Up More Than You Would Think
One issue Joe flags regularly: policies that carry a guest PIP waiver buried inside the coverage details, particularly on Progressive policies. This provision quietly limits your personal injury protection coverage in ways most policyholders never notice until they need to file a claim. If you see the words “enhanced” or “guest PIP” on your declaration page, pay close attention. It may indicate a waiver that could cost you significantly when it matters most. In some cases, switching to a different insurance company may be the only way to remove it.
You Cannot Count on the Other Driver to Protect You
There is a tempting assumption that causes real financial harm: the idea that because someone caused an accident, they must be responsible enough to carry good insurance. In reality, some of the worst drivers on the road carry the least coverage. The two things have no relationship to each other.
You can only count on yourself in this equation. Assuming the other driver has no coverage at all is not pessimistic. It is practical. If your uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is not strong enough to cover a serious injury scenario on its own, hope is not a financial plan.
Get a Free Insurance Policy Review
Joe offers free insurance policy reviews through his office. You submit a copy of your declaration page, and he sends back a report card that flags what is strong, what needs attention, and what should be fixed as soon as possible. There is no sales pitch involved because Joe is not an insurance agent. His only goal is to make sure you understand what you actually have before you ever need to use it.
For every policy submitted during the month of August, Bowers Law will make a $5 donation to Voices of Hope, a nonprofit that has been serving Cecil and Harford County for over a decade. They work in the recovery community and have helped hundreds of people rebuild their lives. Every submission directly supports that work at no cost to you.
Submit your declaration page and get your free review at marylandinsurancebook.com.
Have Questions? Bowers Law Can Help.
If you have been injured in an accident or simply want to understand your legal options, Bowers Law is here to help. Joe and his team know how to fight for every dollar available, and they will do what it takes to put you in the best position possible. Contact us for a free consultation and let us go to work for you.
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