Have you ever considered what might happen if you are involved in an accident with someone who is not covered by insurance? If they are at fault, who pays your medical bills? Who repairs the damage to your vehicle? As a Little Rock AR personal injury lawyer, we hope that you never find yourself in a situation that requires the answer to these questions; but if you do, here’s a little info that may help you be prepared:
Uninsured Coverage
Uninsured motorist coverage protects you if you’re in an accident with a driver who has no insurance. For this reason, uninsured motorist coverage is compulsory in all states and the District of Columbia except for New Hampshire (Live Free or Die…literally).
This scenario may be more common than you’d initially think. Consider all the drivers on the road out there who are risking driving without insurance. Think of all the drivers on the road who could be an excluded driver under their family’s policy. Think of all the possibilities of shopping at the mall and coming out to find someone hit your car in the parking lot and didn’t have the courtesy of waiting to tell you or even leaving a note.
What does uninsured motorist coverage typically cover? Uninsured insurance offers coverage for bodily injury to you and your passengers. It’s important to note that uninsured motorist property damage (damage to your vehicle and contents) coverage is not available in some states.
Most states also require that you have a minimum level of uninsured protection in an effort to protect you if you are involved in such an unfortunate situation. Keep in mind that the minimum level of insurance required (for example, $10,000 in Florida) may not be sufficient to pay for catastrophic (or even moderate) injuries. As a matter of fact, the minimum level of insurance required may not even cover a trip to the ER. For this reason, it’s important to review your policy and determine if you have sufficient coverage.
Uninsured motorist coverage is also triggered in a hit-and-run scenario. This is also more common than you might think. Statistics suggest that one in seven motorists may be required to use their uninsured coverage over their lifetime. For these reasons, it’s important to review your insurance policy and make sure that your coverage is at a level with which you’re comfortable.