What Happens When You Get in a Car Accident with An Uninsured Driver?

There are a lot of things to worry about in the immediate wake of a motor vehicle collision. You may have serious injuries that require trauma care, surgery and rehabilitation. You likely also need to arrange for repairs to or a replacement for your vehicle. Chances are good that those with injuries may miss some work, which can cause financial strain. Trying to handle all of these issues at once can prove to be overwhelming, and can become all the more strained when dealing with your car insurance and an uninsured driver from your car accident.

The expenses typically mount quickly in the wake of a serious collision. You may not have the resources available to cover all of those expenses without being able to work. In this scenario, you may turn to your own insurance company for help and financial support. However, in some cases, you may find yourself without the collision coverage you need to offset the costs from the auto accident.

Just Because You Have Insurance Doesn’t Mean You’re Protected

You may think that because you have always paid for your motor vehicle insurance, you’ll be protected in the event of a collision. Your insurance policy, however, is primarily designed to limit your financial liability stemming from injuring someone else or causing the property damage.

If another driver causes the crash, his or her insurance will need to pay your bills. Your insurance may pay out and seek reimbursement or may require you to work directly with the other party’s insurance company. One of the first things your insurance company will do when you attempt to file a claim is to verify the other party’s insurance coverage and collision coverage and review the police report to determine fault in the car crash.

If the other person doesn’t have an active insurance policy, you may end up in a difficult position financially. All of those expenses and bills could end up falling on your shoulders since they are an uninsured driver, and you cannot collect funds from their auto insurance. If you haven’t already done so, you should contact your insurance company to add uninsured and underinsured driver coverage. These riders to your policy ensure you won’t end up footing the bill for someone too irresponsible to carry insurance or has liability insurance that has very low policy limits.

There are also situations where the accident victims never know the perpetrator or at fault driver, due to a hit-and-run scenario, where there is no chance to collect the other driver’s contact information. Whether your insurance policy covers this, review your insurance information or contact your insurance provider to determine what kind of uninsured motorist coverage.

Lower Coverage Policies Are Also A Concern

Even if the other driver has their own insurance company, there’s always the risk that the policy only contains the minimum protection required under Missouri law and that the policy limits are too low to cover the costs of the accident. State law only requires liability coverage for $10,000 in property damage, $25,000 for bodily injury or death and $50,000 per accident with more than one injured person. These amounts can often cause someone to be an underinsured driver, and when an insurance claim happens they quickly find out that their motorist claim is just simply not enough to cover the costs for vehicle damage, medical expenses, deductibles and more for the insurance claim from the motor vehicle accident.

It’s easy to see how those amounts may not be sufficient when compared with the actual costs of your crash. A single surgery could put you over the maximum coverage amount, even health insurance. If you find that you have expenses beyond what insurance covers, you may need to consider a personal injury lawsuit against the other driver. You may be able to seek compensation for damages, including lost wages, medical expenses and the cost to repair or replace your vehicle.

Reach out to your insurer to determine your underinsured motorist coverage, and what kind of amounts, medical bills, damages and more is covered in your auto insurance policy.

Do You Need Help From a Car Accident Attorney?

If you or a loved one has suffered in a car accident with an uninsured driver or underinsured driver please contact our law firm. Regardless of the fault driver, fault laws only go so far, and being able to cover your medical bills, vehicle damage and other damages that stem from your car accident.

Our uninsured driver attorneys strive for a solid attorney-client relationship, and fight for the maximum compensation possible and provide legal advice on how to proceed.

Call today for a free consultation with one of our personal injury attorneys.