Saturday, November 16, 2013

Tip #9--Your own Uninsured Motorist Coverage will pay your claim if the at-fault driver has no insurance

Uninsured motorists coverage is insurance that you purchase to protect yourself if you are injured in an accident and the at-fault driver does not have insurance.  You can choose (and will pay for) the amount of this coverage.  Verify with your insurance agent the amount of the policy limit of your current uninsured motorist coverage.  Then imagine how much money you may need if you are injured in a serious accident with an uninsured motorist.  You might have a fracture or need surgery.   Would $50,000 be enough?  $100,000?  $250,000?  More?  Of course the amount depends on injuries and medical bills, but considering the high cost of medical services and the fact that you could be off work for some time,  it is worth looking into purchasing the higher amounts of UM coverage. 

Some people also purchase an umbrella policy which could cover up to a million dollars.  If you have an umbrella policy or are thinking of buying one, it is extremely important to ask your insurance agent how the umbrella policy works in an accident involving an uninsured motorist.  Sometimes it is necessary to pay extra to connect the uninsured motorist policy to the umbrella policy.  If everything is connected and paid for, you would then have up to a million dollars of coverage to compensate you if you were seriously hurt by an uninsured motorist who was at fault for the accident. 

How insurance works in uninsured motorist cases can be complicated and confusing.  An uninsured motorist claim is made against your own auto insurance carrier.  Your own carrier then stands in the shoes of the at-fault uninsured driver and basically replaces the missing insurance.  This sets up a situation where your interests conflict with those of your own insurance company!  You can hire the personal injury attorneys at Hestad Law to assist you in this stressful situation.  Hestad Law has experience making uninsured motorist claims for medical bills, lost time from work, pain, suffering and restrictions on activity due to a accident.  If you or a loved one was hurt by an uninsured motorist, contact the attorneys at Hestad Law for a free consult about your claim at 608-273-1600.