A cop receives months of academy training to do their job and protect the public but very little time is spent to protect that cop and their family from an injury. A cop is out on the road at the worst of times. Road patrol continues during snow and rain storms, at night when the drunk drivers are out, and at accident scenes when the red lights of a cruiser turn the patrol car into a magnet for people not paying attention. Most cops don’t know how much personal uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance coverage they have, and even fewer know that they can use their own insurance in an on-the-job MVA.
If a cop is injured in a MVA on duty, caused by a negligent driver, that injured cop’s own personal car insurance may pay benefits. The negligent driver would be liable to the injured cop to cover not only the treatment and time off but the pain and inconvenience. Since the negligent driver is a 3rd party, worker’s comp or the department’s equivalent may be entitled to reimbursement for money spent to treat and compensate the injured cop. If the liable party either has no insurance or not enough to cover the cop’s injuries, then the injured cop can look to their personal uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance coverage. I have had cops walk out of my office, having collected on their own $100,000 policy, and wishing they had $500,000 in uninsured/underinsured coverage to protect themselves. Check with your insurance agent to confirm that you can collect in the event of a LOD crash. If so, ask yourself what your spleen or broken back is worth and ask your agent how much that coverage costs. While most of society is off the road in bad weather or sleeping at midnight, a cop doesn’t have that luxury.