Auto Insurance Claims: witnessing family accident in car ahead of me, auto insurance carrier, health insurance provider

Question
My husband and son were in a serious car accident on September 7, 2009.  They lost control in our Explorer while pulling our camper and rolled both the Explorer and camper.  My husband was thrown approximately 50 feet and my son was trapped in the Explorer as it rolled 6 times through the median and into oncoming traffic on the highway.  The Explorer started on fire with my son trapped in it. My other son, daughter, and myself were following in the vehicle directly behind them and witnessed the whole accident. My husband and I are seeking therapy for post traumatic stress disorder resulting from the accident.  Our auto insurance is willing to pay for my husband's therapy because he was in the vehicle, but they will not help with mine.  Is there any way for us to have them pay for my counseling also?  I feel that since it is also my auto insurance, and I witnessed the whole thing, that they should contribute in my therapy also.

Answer
Kim,

Insurance companies write their contracts in very specific ways.  They typically only cover individuals who were injured and were in the vehicle that was involved in the accident.  I would talk to your insurance company and ask them to direct you to the specific portion of your policy (by paragraph and section number) which requires that you be in the vehicle at the time of the accident before you can seek therapy.  That having been said, I suspect that they probably have a valid reason to disclaim coverage in this circumstance.

You might have better luck seeking coverage from your health insurance provider as opposed to your auto insurance carrier.

Best regards,

Ernest Ferraro