Maryland Accident Lawyer Summary of Schuler v. Erie
Insurance Exchange, 81 Md. App. 499 (1990)

     In this Montgomery County, Maryland case, a pedestrian was injured in a car accident when he was struck by an uninsured motorist. The pedestrian's car was insured by MAIF. The pedestrian's wife drove a company vehicle with an Erie Insurance Exchange commercial policy, with the employer as the named insured. After the pedestrian was struck by the uninsured car (as he was standing next to his own automobile, a 1983 Camero, at the time of the accident), he sought recovery under the Erie policy as opposed to the MAIF policy because, not surprisingly, the Erie policy had higher limits (20/40 as opposed to 100/300). The pedestrian's accident attorney's claim was denied by Erie and the lawyer brought suit on behalf of the pedestrian. Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge DeLawrence Beardudge entered summary judgment for Erie and the pedestrian's attorney appealed.
     The Court of Special Appeals of Maryland affirmed, ruling that under the unambiguous language of the insurance policy, the pedestrian was not covered for UM or PIP benefits because he was not the insured or a relative of the insured (which was his wife's company), and the accident did not occur while he was using his wife's car.
     In dicta, the court mused that if both polices were applicable, the pedestrian's personal injury attorney would have the right to chose between the MAIF and the Erie policies. This is probably not so, based on section 19-513 of the Maryland Insurance Code, the policy language and Maryland law covering the coordination of multiple insurance policies.

See also Uninsured Motorist Coverage
See also Arbitration Clauses and Maryland Car Insurance Contracts
See also State Farm Mutual Auto Insurance Co. v. Crisfulli
See also Uninsured Interrogatories
See also Sample Uninsured Motorist District Court Complaint
See also Sample Uninsured Motorist Circuit Court Complaint
See also Maryland Uninsured Motorist Statute
See also Breach of Contract: The Nature of an Uninsured Motorist Claim
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