i was at fault in accident my insurance was lapsed for 20 days damage to boyh cars was over 1500 my wife called immediately within 2 minutes of accide

If your insurance was lapsed at the time of the accident, then unfortunately no--it does not have to cover you. What matters in determining insurance coverage is whether it was in force at the moment on the accident.

There is not normally any type of grace period in regards to motor vehicle insurance if your payment is not in on time then your policy usually lapses.  However, state laws do differ, as do insurance companies' guidelines, regarding this.  In some states  there is a grace period between a due date and an insurance policy cancellation; and you must be given notice of this. 

To find out if your state has an insurance law regulating a grace period or a time period in between when your auto insurance is due and when you pay that allows you to not be canceled, check with your state insurance regulator.  If the state does not have a law then check with insurance company to find out what rules they have regarding this and their cancellation process.