BAM! You were suddenly involved in a car wreck that was someone else’s fault and you are injured. What do you do? Well, other than seeking medical treatment, most people know that you should get the other person’s insurance information if you are able to, in order to make a claim. However, there could potentially be two issues that arise with this: 1) the at-fault driver may not have liability insurance to pay for your injuries, or 2) the at-fault driver may not have ENOUGH liability insurance to pay for your injuries. What can you do to protect yourself and your loved ones?
The answer is that you should add underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) to your personal insurance policy. When you purchase your automobile insurance, be sure to ask your agent to provide you with this type of coverage. It typically does not cost a significant amount, and can potentially provide you with much-needed additional coverage.
What is UM/UIM? Exactly what they it sounds like. Underinsured motorist protection is money that your insurance company will pay over and above any amount the other driver’s liability insurance limits when your injuries exceed those limits. An example would be that you have medical bills and other personal injury damages totaling $60,000, but the person who caused the accident only has $30,000 in coverage. However, you have $50,000 in underinsured motorist protection through your personal policy. In this situation, the other driver’s insurance would only pay $30,000, and your insurance would pay the $30,000 difference in order to compensate you for your damages.
Uninsured motorist protection is also what it sounds like. If you are involved in a collision with another driver who does NOT have any liability insurance coverage, your insurance company would step act as like an insurance carrier for the other driver and compensate you for your damages.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a motor vehicle collision and need assistance in collecting insurance proceeds, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.