Attorney Steven Gursten featured in Online Auto Insurance News as a legal expert as insurance companies try to require man to have car insurance for his wheelchair
George Veness of Macomb County, Michigan is seeking benefits from State Farm and Allstate for injuries he sustained when a car hit him in his motorized scooter as he was crossing the street. Yet the insurers are refusing payment, saying that his motorized scooter was a motor vehicle – and should have been insured like a personal car.
Attorney Steven Gursten tells Online Auto Insurance News (OAIN) that, if insurers win on their argument, users of motorized scooters and wheelchair could be required to buy car insurance coverage.
Here’s what Steve had to say:
A court ruling in favor of State Farm and Farm Bureau would mean that “motorized wheelchairs are the equivalent of cars and trucks for auto insurance purposes.” That categorization would mean users of motorized wheelchairs are technically “uninsured drivers” who are denied both the benefits of coverage and certain rights in court when they are injured in crashes.
In effect, those people “will be forced to go out and purchase Michigan No-Fault auto insurance for their motorized wheelchairs.”
You can read the full story here: Mich. Crash Raises Questions About Insurance on Scooters.
