One in seven motorists in the United States are uninsured. This is why it is so important to learn about insurance coverage options and how to protect yourself and your family if you are ever in an accident. We all know we are supposed to have insurance coverage, but what happens when you are in an accident with a motorist who is uninsured?
Hopefully, you have adequate coverage through your own car insurance. Underinsured and uninsured coverage has two options, bodily injury coverage and property damage coverage. Bodily injury insurance covers you and passengers in your vehicle for medical bills, pain and suffering, and even lost wages. Property damage coverage covers your vehicle, as well as personal property such as your cellphone, computers, and other personal items in your vehicle at the time of the crash.
Our office recently won a trial for a cyclist who was struck by an SUV that fled the scene of the accident. Fortunately, our client was covered under his uninsured motorist protection. Without uninsured motorist coverage, our client would have been responsible for many thousands of dollars just for his medical expenses. He would have been unable to claim any compensation at all for his permanent injuries. However, because our client had taken the time to make sure his insurance coverage included coverage for uninsured drivers, we were able to recover a fair sum of money from his insurance company to pay for his medical bills and fairly compensate him for injuries with lifelong consequences.
Many people do not know what their insurance limits are or just have state minimums. State minimum coverage will not be enough to protect you and your loved ones in a serious accident. Take the time to contact your insurance company and see what amount and kind of coverage you have on your auto policy. At a minimum, you should have $100,000 in uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Even this isn’t enough in catastrophic situations. Ask your agent how much more your premium would be to raise your coverage to at least $250,000 per person, or more. You may be surprised how little it really costs to have good insurance coverage.
Source:
“Uninsured Motorist Car Insurance Coverage Guide.” DMV.org. Web. 17 July 2015.
