USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (2024)

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (1)

I’m going to tell you how to increase your odds at getting a big and fast settlement with USAA.

I’ve settled over $811,000 in USAA auto insurance injury claims. Thus, I know and will tell you how USAA handles auto insurance claims.

Here, I’ll discuss USAA settlements and verdicts. Some payouts are from 2024 and others are from different years.

We’ll talk about car accident claims, and theaverage dog bite settlement amountwith USAA.

That’s not it.

We’ll talk about other USAA injury claims as well.

Table of contents

  • What is the Average Settlement with USAA in a Personal Injury Case?
  • Can USAA pay out more than the coverage limit?
  • $300,000 USAA Auto Insurance Claim Settlement
  • $100,000 Settlement with USAA (Bike Rider Hit By Car)
  • $70,000 Settlement with USAA (Pedestrian Hit By Car)
  • $52,000 USAA Insurance Claim Payout (Car Hit Bike Rider)
  • $50,000 USAA Insurance Claim Payout in Florida
  • $50,000 USAA Car Accident Settlement
  • $10,000 USAA Car Accident Claim Settlement (State Farm Also Paid $25K)
  • $30K Settlement for Meniscus Tear from Orlando Car Crash
  • USAA Pays Car Passenger $25K (Herniated Disc, Shoulder Tear and Other Injuries)
  • USAA Pays Driver$25K for 6Bulging Discs and Annular Tear
  • USAA Pays $9,850 (of $19,850) to Driver Hit By Car (Herniated Disc)
  • USAA Offers $44,500, Gets Hit With $173,250 Judgment for Golf Cart Accident Case
  • Wife’s Death Results in $10 Million Dollar Judgment Against USAA Insured
  • USAA Offers $100K to Settle Injury from Fall (from Dog Encounter)
  • USAA Argues That PIP Doesn’t Have to Pay Off a Workers’ Compensation Lien
  • Hit by a Drunk Driver Insured With USAA (Claims and Settlements)
  • USAA May Not Be Able to Remove an Uninsured Motorist Insurance Cases To Federal Court
  • Is Garrison Property and Casualty Insurance Company the same as USAA?
  • How Do I Submit a Claim To USAA?
  • USAA Claims Adjusters Tend to Be Nice
  • What types of liability insurance does USAA offer?
  • Watch My Video About USAA auto insurance claims
  • See if I can represent you against USAA (or someone else)

USAA is above average as compared to other insurance companies.

What is the Average Settlement with USAA in a Personal Injury Case?

In 2021 and through January 2022, my average personal injury settlement with USAA was $128,333.

(When calculating my average settlementwith USAA, I usedthe total settlement in cases where USAA was abodily injury liability (BIL) auto insurer, or underinsured motorist insurer, andthere was additional BIL insurance that I got from another insurer.)

For example, in one case, USAA settled with us for $10,000, but another insurer paid an additional $25,000. However, for my average settlement amount, I used $35,000 as the settlement figure, even though USAA only paid $10,000.

In 2021 through January 2022, one third of my personal injury settlements with USAA were for $300,000. The rest were for under $300,000.

Take a look:

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (2)

My educated guess is that the average USAA settlement is under $15,000. This is because most cases don’t result in serious injuries.

I tend to take seriously injured cases.

USAA tends to pay better than other car insurance companies. For example, USAA has a reputation for paying better than Progressive (Uber’s insurer in Florida), State Farm and GEICO and Allstate. I’m referring to the personal injury part of a claim.

But USAA is still an insurance company. And its goal is to pay you as little as possible. Remember that.

If you keep up with injury cases, you’ll see that there were many times that USAA used an argument that the jury or judge ruled was wrong.

Can USAA pay out more than the coverage limit?

It depends on the state where the accident happened. For example, Florida has bad faith laws. Bad faith laws put pressure on USAA to pay the policy limits if the case is worth the limits or more.

If USAA fails to pay the coverage limit and protect its insured driver/owner, USAA may be on the hook for the entire judgement (after a verdict).

In Florida, bad faith laws also apply to uninsured motorist claims with USAA.

However, to have a valid bad faith uninsured motorist (UM) insurance claim, the injured party (or his/her attorney) must file a civil remedy notice of insurer violation. Additionally, 60 days must expire after filing the notice against USAA. In other words, USAA has 60 days to cure the bad faith and not face an excess judgment.

$300,000 USAA Auto Insurance Claim Settlement

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (3)

Jose (not real name) was riding a motorcycle in South Florida. A driver crashed into Jose and he got injured.

Jose got a Free Consultation with me (attorney Justin Ziegler). We spoke and he quickly hired me.

I jumped into action on his case.

USAA insured the car with a $300,000 bodily injury liability insurance limit. But they did not pay us immediately. USAA played hardball.

Within two months after this accident, we settled with USAA for $300,000.

Here is the settlement check (redacted):

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (4)

My client was lucky that the driver had a big insurance policy with USAA.

Most USAA policies are for much less than $300,000.

$200,000 Settlement with USAA & another insurer

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (5)

Mary (not real name) was driving her car in Miami, Florida. She was heading through a green light.

At the same time, a driver of another car ran a red light. Mary t-boned the other driver.

This is the damage to Mary’s car:

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (6)

An ambulance took Mary to the hospital. An x-ray showed that she had a broken wrist. At the hospital, a doctor performed surgery on her wrist. Specifically, they put a plate and screws put in her wrist.

Shortly after the accident, Mary hired me as her attorney. USAAinsured the at-fault driver with a $100,000 bodily injury liability limit.

USAA sent a check for its driver’s $100,000 bodily injury limits.

Why did they pay the $100,000 limits so fast?

They paid very quickly because Maria had surgery to her wrist. I’ve said it hundreds of times before:

Surgery greatly increases the full value of a car accident injury case.

And this case was no exception. Without surgery, Mary’s case may have settled for under $100,000.

But I didn’t just accept the $100,000 limits.

I wanted to get Mary more money!

Through aggressive representation, I was able to discover that the other driver was working at the time of the accident.

This was big news!

Old Dominion (Main Street America Group) insured the employer of the at-fault driver.

I got Mary a$200,000settlement for her broken wrist. This is one of my many broken wrist settlements.

Tip: Jurors tend to award more for intersection accident cases than for rear end cases. This isbecause intersection crasheshave more jury appeal (more “exciting”). Tell the adjuster that you know this.

What would’ve happened if I wouldn’t have found out that the at fault driver was working at the time of the crash?

Unfortunately, we would’ve been limited to a $100,000 settlement with USAA.

This would have meant that Mary’s case would’ve settled for $100,000 less than she got in this case!

That’s a whole lot of money.

$100,000 Settlement with USAA (Bike Rider Hit By Car)

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (7)

Rina (not real name) was riding a bike through an intersection in Cooper City, Florida.

At the same time, someone driving a pickup truck was making a right hand turn.

The front of the pickup truck struck Rina.

I recreated the crash diagram (below) from the accident report.

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (8)

As as result of the impact, Rina suffered facial fractures and collapsed lungs.

Paramedics came to the scene and took Rina to the hospital. Her family member called me.

I gave her a free consultation and she hired me.

USAA insured the pickup truck with $100,000 in bodily injury liability coverage. USAA paid me the $100,000 insurance limits.

We were able to get the hospital to lower her medical bills.

$70,000 Settlement with USAA (Pedestrian Hit By Car)

Watch an interesting video about this settlement:

Apassenger, Daisy(not real name), was in a car driving down the street in West Palm Beach, Florida. It wasdaylight outside.

Daisy saw a hose in the middle of the street. She decided that she wanted to get the hose.

The driver (Barbara) of the car that she was in made a u-turn. The driver stopped the car.

Daisy got out of the car and walked to the middle of the street. Thus, she was a pedestrian. She was walking on her way back to the median. Before reaching Barbara’s car,another driver (William) hit her.

Daisy had the following injuries:

  • 4 bulging discs
  • a broken leg (tibial plateau fracture)
  • a sacrum fracture
  • a shoulder injury (shoulder impingement)
  • herniated discs.

USAA insured the driver of the car that hit Daisy. USAA’s first offer was just $30,000! Ultimately, I settled her auto insurance claim with USAA for $70,000.

Here is a settlement check:

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (9)

On the bottom left of the settlement check, you can see that it says “Fed-Ex Overnight”.

I told the USAA claims adjuster that I would only accept the $70,000 offer if they sent the check via overnight delivery. And they did so. It never hurts to ask.

Here is a comparison between USAA’s first offer and settlement:

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (10)

Like most cases where a car hits a pedestrian, most of the settlement was for pain and suffering.

I estimate that about $68,057 of the $70,000 settlement was for pain and suffering.

The rest was for the out of pocket medical bills.

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (11)

After my lawyer fees, costs and paying back my client’s medical bills, I gave her a check for $44,667.

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (12)

The $70,000 payout was about 36 times the final out of pocket medical bills.

In other words, the pain and suffering multiplier was about 36.

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (13)

This is one of my many settlements for a pedestrian who was hit by a car.

$52,000 USAA Insurance Claim Payout (Car Hit Bike Rider)

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (14)

A young bicycle rider was cut off by a car that he then crashed into. He was thrown of his bike and landed on his back.

The car failed to yield the right of way. It happened in Key Biscayne,Miami-Dade County, Florida.

He had a closed head injury but he did not lose consciousness. The bicyclist also suffered compression fractures from T3-T5.

He also had a small disc protrusion. USAA, the UM insurer, settled the claim for $42,500.

United Automobile Insurance Company (UAIC) insured thedriver of the car that caused the accident. United Auto paid $10,000. I represented the injured bicyclist.

$50,000 USAA Insurance Claim Payout in Florida

Corey was driving his car through a green light near Tampa, Florida. Ricky was driving a pickup truck and had a flashing yellow light.

Ricky made a turn and violently crashed into Corey. Corey felt pain in one finger in each hand.

Police came to the scene and gave Ricky a ticket.

Both Corey and Ricky had USAA auto insurance. The day after the crash, Corey went to urgent care. They took x-rays and told him he had a broken finger in each hand.

Since Florida is a no-fault state, Corey gave his own auto insurance information to his own insurance company (USAA). And they paid 80% of his medical bills and 60% of his lost wages from missing work.

But that’s where things stopped being “easy”.

Like many people who get injured in accidents, Corey thought USAA would be fair. Corey had been watching some of my Youtube videos and thought he could handle his personal injury claim against USAA himself.

But months went by and Ricky’s insurance (also USAA) only offered Corey around $6,000 to settle his personal injury claim.

As more time went by USAA did what car insurance companies do. They focus on their other claims unless you’re demanding. Some insurance adjusters have as money as 200 claims at one time!

Corey realized that he couldn’t handle his case alone as he didn’t have experience dealing with big and tough insurance companies.

So Corey completed the short form on our website to see if I could be the lawyer for him. We spoke and he hired me as his lawyer soon thereafter.

I finally got USAA to make an offer. I thought they’d do the right thing and pay us their driver’s $50,000 limit of bodily injury coverage.

And then we got some bad news.

They only offered us $21,000.00.

I told USAA to tell Ricky to start gathering his financial information. USAA finally offered $50,000.

I quickly sent USAA a detailed form for Ricky to complete to see if there was any additional insurance that would cover him. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any.

And Corey didn’t have underinsured motorist insurance coverage, so we couldn’t make a claim against that coverage.

We ultimately settled his case with USAA for $50,000. Here’s the settlement check.

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (15)

After my attorney’s fees and costs, Corey got over $33,300 in his pocket. He was thrilled!

I wired him his money and he got it within 5 minutes of me sending it. After getting his money, Corey said:

Thank you so much. You guys have been amazing!

Text message from Corey to us.

$50,000 USAA Car Accident Settlement

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Pierre was driving a company car near Orlando, Florida at night. He was heading west. (In the above diagram, Pierre’s car is #2.)

John was driving a van heading East. That car is #2 in the diagram above. Pierre made a left hand turn to pull into a gas station.

While doing so, John’s van hit Pierre’s car almost head on. Pierre claimed that John’s van had its lights off. The crash report said that an independent witness said that he couldn’t see the van.

As a result of the crash, the airbags in Pierre’s car deployed.

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (17)

Paramedics took Pierre to the hospital.

There, a doctor took an x-ray of his finger.

It showed that his finger was broken.

The doctor put a cast on Pierre’s finger:

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (18)

USAA insured the other driver on his personal car.

At the time of the accident, the other driver was driving a rental car. However, he didn’t purchase rental car insurance.

Fortunately, Pierre did not need surgery to his finger.

Pierre also had neck pain. An MRI of his neck showed that he had a C6-7 broad based central posterior disc herniation resulting in impingement of the thecal sac.

The same cervical (neck) MRI said that Pierre had straightening of the normal cervical lordotic curvature which can be seen with muscle spasm due to ligamentous sprain and disc Injury.

I got USAA to pay us the other driver’s $50,000 bodily injury liability policy limits.

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (19)

USAA likely felt that the pain and suffering value of this case was over $36,000. I say this because the final medical bills were almost $14,000.

This is what Pierre said in his 5 Star review of my law firm on Google Maps:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Positive:Professionalism,Quality,Responsiveness

I would like to start with Jenny (Justin’s paralegal ). I truly appreciate your time and efforts during the entire process. You were prompt, understanding, and patient as this was my first injury claim of any variety. I initially called [another law firm] and wanted to speak with someone else.

Just really didn’t feel as if I were being heard – just rushed to answer the next question as if I were inconveniencing them. After a bit of research including YouTube videos, I called Justin’s office and Jenny answered the phone.

After our exchange and subsequent initial conversation with Justin, I felt valued and as I had an opportunity to explain myself thoroughly. I allowed Justin to represent me right away.

Justin got to work IMMEDIATELY. Crash reports, consent forms, and all other investigative aspects of the case seemed as if they were happening at light speed!

He was able to find an imaging center to treat me up-front as I was uninsured. This led to me receiving chiropractic and occupational therapy for my hand, wrist, back, and neck.

Throughout the case, Justin was always able to be reached. He would respond to emails with haste and copied me on everything he did even if there was no action to be taken on my part – just to keep me completely in the loop.

In fact, on three or four occasions, Justin and I spoke on the phone for over an hour plus, which made him seem personable and if I was his only client. It was like having a buddy, who just happened to be an attorney as well.

Justin, I can’t express enough how grateful I am to have had you represent me in this difficult time – all the way from Orlando too! I learned a TON about the law, insurance, and a few life lessons sprinkled in there as well hahah!

If I ever run into any situation where your services are needed again, I will not hesitate to call.

thankfully,
Pierre

Google Maps 5 star review of JZ helps (a Florida injury law firm)

$10,000 USAA Car Accident Claim Settlement (State Farm Also Paid $25K)

Sandra’s employer gave her a car to use for work. In August 2020, Sandra was driving east in Crestview (near Pensacola), Florida. Daniel was in a car heading south. He ran a stop sign.

As a result, the front of Sandra’s car struck the passenger side of Daniel’s car.

You can see the damage to Sandra’s car here:

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (20)

You can see the actual diagram from the crash report here:

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (21)

State Farm insured Daniel’s car (#1 in the diagram) with $25,000 in bodily injury liability insurance coverage.

After the accident, Sandra had back and neck pain. She said that her workers’ compensation insurance company gave her limited information about how wage loss worked.

Sandra searched Google for how wage loss works with workers’ compensation. She found my website my website. She got a free consultation with me.

Let Me Fight to Get You a Fair Settlement

FIND OUT FOR FREE IF I CAN REPRESENT YOU

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After we spoke, she hired me.

An MRI that showed that she had a herniated disc.

Sandra was working at the time of her accident. Thus, her workers’ compensation paid all of her medical bills.

I got State Farm to pay me its driver’s $25,000 BIL insurance policy limits. You can see the settlement check:

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (23)

This was about 6 months after the car accident.

It gets better:

USAA insured Sandra’s personal car with $10,000 of uninsured motorist insurance coverage. At the time of this accident, Sandra was not driving her personal car. However, her underinsured motorist insurance (from her personal car) covered her for this accident.

I got USAA to pay me Sandra’s $10,000 limit of uninsured motorist coverage.

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The total settlement was $35,000. After my car accident lawyer fees and costs, Sandra gets a check for $23,333.33.

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Normally, you have to pay back the workers’ compensation insurance company from your personal injury settlement. However, they must reduce their claim (lien) by your attorney’s fees and costs and other factors.

Here, Sandra’s workers’ compensation lawyer got the workers comp insurer to waive it’s lien. Sandra was happy with our personal injury settlement.

Sandra also settled a workers’ compensation claim with her employer’s insurance company.

$30K Settlement for Meniscus Tear from Orlando Car Crash
USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (27)

Check out my $30,000 settlement after a driver was rear ended in Orlando, Florida. She claimed that the accident caused a meniscus tear in her knee. USAA insured the at fault driver.

USAA Pays Car Passenger $25K (Herniated Disc, Shoulder Tear and Other Injuries)

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (28)

Ian (seen above) was in a pickup truck in Key Largo, Florida.

Another driver crashed into the back of his pickup truck.

You can see the damage to the back of Ian’s pickup truck:

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (29)

After this rear end accident, Ian hired me to make a personal injury claim against USAA and any other parties.

He claimed a herniated disc, labrum (shoulder) tear, andback pain. He also had a finger and kneeinjury.

USAA was his uninsured motorist (UM) insurance company. The driver who caused the accident had Infinity Insurance. However, he had no bodily injury liability insurance on his car insurance policy.

Thus, the only available insurance was my client’s USAA UM coverage on his car insurance policy. We settled with USAA for $25,000.

Most of the settlement was for pain and suffering. Here is the USAA uninsured motorist insurance settlement check:

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (30)

Watch a video where Ian talks about his case and experience.

You can read more about his $25,000 settlement.

USAA Pays Driver$25K for 6Bulging Discs and Annular Tear

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (31)

See why a driver got $25,000 after a pickup truck rear ended him in Miami. He claimed that the crash caused or aggravated 6 bulging discs & an annular tear.

USAA Pays $9,850 (of $19,850) to Driver Hit By Car (Herniated Disc)

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (33)

A driver failed to yield the right of way and crashed into a car, driven by a29-year-old man.

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (34)

State Farminsured the car that caused the crash.

The 29-year-old man claimed that the accident caused his herniated disc with impingement. The careless driver was driving a friend’s vehicle at the time of the accident. State Farm paid its policy limits of $10,000.

The car that the claimant was in (“hostcar”)had UMcoveragewith USAA. USAA paid $9,850.

USAA argued that my client was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash.

I’ve also had other settlements with USAA.

USAA Offers $44,500, Gets Hit With $173,250 Judgment for Golf Cart Accident Case

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (35)

Look:

I’ve said that USAA pays better than the other big auto insurers in Florida. However, they still pay less than the fair value of the case. Here is one example.

This isn’t my case. Roslyn Posner claimed that on January 13, 2009, Linda Berger-Buvittran a stop signat the intersection of the golf cart path and pedestrian sidewalk.

Posner was allegedly 82 years old at the time of the crash.USAA insured Berger-Buvitt.

Posner claimed that the accident caused a compression fracture of the vertebrae in her thoracic spine. She sued USAA’s insured, Berger-Buvitt.

Posner also sued The Polo Club for failing to maintain the bushes in the area. Berger-Buvitt blamed the bushes for blocking her line of sight. Zurich insured The Polo Club.

USAA offered $44,500 to Mrs. Posner to settle her personal injury case. She didn’t accept this offer. At trial, the jury found Posner 25% at fault.

The good news for her?

They found USAA’s insured, Berger-Buvitt, 75% at fault. Thus, after reducing the value for Posner’s fault, she got a$173,250 judgment against USAA’s insured.

This is crazy:

Settlement isn’t an exact science. However,USAA’s offer was too low by $128,750. It’s not like USAA’s offer was off by $1,200. Or even $12,800.

USAA was off by over $128,000!

Point this case out to USAA the next time they try to lowball you.

Wife’s Death Results in $10 Million Dollar Judgment Against USAA Insured

This is not my case. USAA issued an automobile insurance policy to Andrew Booth Buckman.

In November 2010, Buckman was involved in an automobile accident that resulted in the death of Dennis Lee Kemp’s wife. Kemp sued Buckman for wrongful death in a Florida state court. He got a $10 million dollar judgment against Buckman.

The case isKemp v. USAA Casualty Insurance Co., Dist. Court, SD Florida 2015.

USAA Offers $100K to Settle Injury from Fall (from Dog Encounter)

This is not my case.In 2011, a claimant sustained personal injuries when the claimant fell. She fell after an encounter with dogs owned by Colleen Brennan, a USAA insured.

The claimant made a pre-suit demand for the $100,000 policy limit of Brennan’s insurance policy. USAA accepted the demand and tendered its check for the policy limits.

Rather than cashing USAA’s settlement check, the claimant, in March 2013, filed a personal injury lawsuit against Brennan. She sued Brennan and others in the Palm Beach County.

The case is United Services v. Offices of Herssein, 233 So. 3d 1224 – Fla: Dist. Court of Appeals, 3rd Dist. 2017

USAA Argues That PIP Doesn’t Have to Pay Off a Workers’ Compensation Lien

If youhave PIP insurance with USAA, and wereworking at the time of acaraccident, should youstill give all of your medical providers your USAA PIP information?

Yes. Even if workers’ compensation pays your bills and/or lost wages.

Otherwise, USAA may argue that USAA PIP doesn’t have to pay a workers compensation lien. USAA is has a reputation for making this argument.

If a court agrees with USAA, this would put less money in your pocket.

Hit by a Drunk Driver Insured With USAA (Claims and Settlements)

What happens if a drunk driver (insured with USAA) hits you and injures you?

First, hopefully the drunk driver’s USAA car insurance policy has bodily injury liability (BIL) coverage. Unfortunately, BIL coverage is not required on Florida auto insurance policies for private passenger autos.

Either way, you want to make a personal injury protection (PIP) and Medpay claim with your car insurance company. You should give your PIP and Medpay information to the hospital.

If you are from out of state and you’re in a Florida car accident, you may or may not have PIP. It may depend on whose car you were in at the time of the accident. If you were in your own car (from another state), you need to see whether your out of state car insurance covers you with PIP. It will depend on the language in your auto insurance policy.

Either way, the hospital should bill your PIP or Medpay coverage before your health insurance. Failure to give your PIP or Medpay insurance to the hospital can delay your settlement. Also, give the hospital your health insurance information.

If Medpay pays your medical bills, your car insurance company may be entitled to get reimbursed. One of the 13 advantages to hiring a personal injury lawyer is that a Medpay insurer often has to reduce the amount that you’ll pay it back by your attorney’s fees and costs. In Florida, the Medpay insurer must do this. Thus, if you have an attorney, you get a benefit. If you don’t have an attorney, you don’t get this benefit.

The solution is simple:

Get an attorney.

If you’re from another state, whether you’ll have to pay back Medpay may depend on the other state law.

If the DUI driver who hit you has BIL coverage, this is good news. DUI means driving under the influence. Of course, you can make a claim with the DUI driver’s insurance company for your out of pocket medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering. This assumes that the DUI driver’s carelessness caused your injury.

You can also tell USAA that you are also making a claim for punitive damages against the DUI driver. A Florida auto insurance policy won’t cover punitive damages against the DUI driver. However, USAA as a duty to settle claims against the drunk driver if it could and should.

A punitive damage claim increases the full value of the personal injury case against a drunk driver. Thus, a punitive damages claim against the drunk driver adds pressure for USAA to settle for more money (and quicker).

I have lots of experience making a claims against drunk drivers. Check out some of my drunk driving accident settlements.

USAA May Not Be Able to Remove an Uninsured Motorist Insurance Cases To Federal Court

Many car insurers like to remove UM injury cases from state court to federal court. They believe that having a UM injury case in federal court means that they will owe less money than if the case was in state court.

Different rules of procedure apply in federal court. If you sue USAA for uninsured motorist insurance benefits, they may be able to remove your case to federal court. It will depend which USAA entity you sue.

Look at the USAA declarations page to see if USAA is listed as United Services Automobile Association (“A Reciprocal Interinsurance Exchange”). If they are, they won’t be able to remove the case to federal court. This is because its members it is a reciprocal with its members everywhere so they cannot remove.

However, USAA owns at least one incorporated insurer, that is incorporated in Texas, and they can remove the lawsuit to federal court. I know a personal injury lawyer who says that this USAA will remove when they want to, based on how they feel about the state court judge assigned to the case.

USAA is more likely to remove to federal court if they think that the state court judge is more liberal (leaning towards favoring the plaintiff as opposed to an insurance company) in his/her decisions. USAA General Indemnity Company is an incorporated insurer who can remove personal injury lawsuits to federal court.

I also believe that USAA Insurance Inc. can remove injury claims to federal court.

Is Garrison Property and Casualty Insurance Company the same as USAA?

Yes. Although they are different businesses, your claim is basically handled the same way, and by aUSAA adjuster.

In Florida, USAA issues liability policies as:

  • USAA Casualty Insurance Company
  • USAA General Indemnity Company
  • Garrison Property and Casualty Insurance Company

You can go to Florida Office of Insurance Regulation Company Search to get USAA’s current mailing address for Florida claims.

You can go to A.M. BESTto get USAA’s main fax number.

However, sending a fax to the main corporate office maynot speed up a claim.From my experience, USAA adjusters do not give out their email address.

As with larger insurers, USAA adjusters tend to me more educated than adjusters at smaller insurers.

The USAA Property and Casualty Insurance Group is the sixth largest private passenger auto insurer and fifth largest homeowners insurer based on 2011 direct written premiums. To put it simply, they are a huge insurance company.

How Do I Submit a Claim To USAA?

You can call USAA at to report a car accident claim.

However, I can’t emphasize this enough…

An injured person should not give a recorded statement if he or she is making a claim against someone who USAA insures.

Why not?

The injured person doesn’t legally have to. The statement can be used against them. It can decrease the full value of the case.

As with every insurance company, the representative will ask you some basic questions.

The USAA representative will then give you a claim number. The claim will be assigned to a particular adjuster. If you have a more serious injury, the claim will be assigned to a higher level adjuster.

USAA Claims Adjusters Tend to Be Nice

The USAA insurance claims adjusters whom I’ve dealt with have been nice. Below are just a few of them:

PIP

  • Christine Gutierrez
    Southeast Regional Office
    USAA General Indemnity Company
  • Many others

I’ve had claims with USAA bodily injury liability adjusters Kathy Gegan, Jodi Weaver, and Shannon Luker and many others.

What types of liability insurance does USAA offer?

USAA offers many liability insurance products, such as auto insurance:

USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (36)

USAA also offers enters Insurance, Homeowner Insurance, Rental Property Insurance, Home and Property Insurance, Umbrella Insurance, Motorcycle, RV and Boat Insurance, and Small Business Insurance.

Did someone’s carelessness cause your injury in a Florida car crashor other type of accident?

Watch My Video About USAA auto insurance claims

See if I can represent you against USAA (or someone else)

Call us at (888) 594-3577 tofind out for FREEif we can represent you. Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

We speak Spanish. We invite you to learn moreabout us.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 2013and I periodically review it.

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USAA Auto Insurance Accident Claims and Payouts (2024)
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