George Spohr: Reporting horrific news is part of our jobs

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Man faces harassment charges after incident in Hanover Township

What is a person&#8217;s life worth? Apparently, in Pennsylvania it is $15,000.On Sept. 22, 2014, my wife, a very active person, went out for her early morning walk &#8211; something she has done for more than 30 years. This time she never returned home.A young woman allegedly fell asleep at the wheel of her car, lost control, ran off the road, over a tree lawn, struck a tree, spun onto the sidewalk and hit my wife, who suffered severe facial fractures and severe brain trauma. The driver was not charged with any infraction.Since the accident, my wife has been in and out of several health care facilities. She is now a patient at Allied Skilled Nursing in Scranton. Currently she is totally incapacitated. She cannot speak, walk or move. She is 100 percent dependent upon her caregivers for all of life&#8217;s functions.Since the young woman who hit her had no assets, a civil suit was meaningless. However, the driver did have auto insurance at the state minimum coverage. The minimum bodily injury coverage in Pennsylvania is $15,000. My wife&#8217;s medical expenses, rehab and nursing home costs greatly exceed this minimum coverage. She will need professional care for the rest of her life.The minimum insurance coverage must be addressed. The multimillion-dollar settlements some attorneys advertise on their television commercials are not the norm. Actually, most victims receive settlements much lower.If drivers want to operate motor vehicles, they must be insured enough to compensate the injured at a level corresponding to their needs.This letter is being written to make the public aware of the financial danger faced each time you encounter an underinsured driver. Please take the time to inform your elected officials that a review of Pennsylvania&#8217;s auto insurance limits must undertaken.Gary ZavackiExeter

Letter to the Editor: Auto insurance limits insufficient for Pennsylvania’s underinsured drivers