What is Tort?

What is tort? Why do I have tort? What is the difference between full and limited tort? Questions about “Tort” are one of the most frequent topics I am asked about as an Insurance agent in Pennsylvania and it’s one of the most important coverages you should be aware of on your Auto policy. Often times I talk to customers who don’t know what coverage they have and don’t know why it’s important. Do not worry - I am here to help!

Let's start with answering the first question, what is tort?

Tort is defined in legal terms as a civil wrongdoing that damages can be sought out by the injured party or in simple terms, your right to sue.

Now that we know what tort is we can answer why do we have tort?

Tort became mandatory in our auto insurance because the state of Pennsylvania wanted to limit the number of pain and suffering lawsuits in our courts resulting from auto crashes. This leads us to the two options they give us in our insurance coverage's, full and limited tort.

So finally, what is the difference between full and limited tort?

The full tort option gives you the right to sue for all damages, including pain and suffering while the limited tort option does not let you sue for pain and suffering unless the personal injuries are severe. Because the state implemented this mandatory coverage to keep pain and suffering lawsuits out of the courts, the full tort option is obviously more expensive on your auto insurance policy making the limited tort option less expensive.

Now you may be asking yourself, which option is best for me? As an insurance professional, I would advise everyone to take the full tort option. We can never predict when an accident will occur and how it will affect us, therefore we should insure ourselves now with the proper coverage for when the unavoidable may happen. A couple dollars now could save you thousands in the future.

Ask us today about reviewing your tort option!