My job is to negotiate with and to sue insurance companies; therefore, I am their opponent on a daily basis. Even though I am their opponent, I want to stress the importance of having uninsured insurance (UM) and underinsured insurance (UIM) at as high a policy limits as you can afford. In this way you can hopefully avoid making a tragic situation worse.
UNINSURED MOTORIST INSURANCE (UM) is insurance that pays the policyholder if the person who causes their injury does not have insurance.
In my legal practice, I get calls about once a month from people who have been involved in collisions with uninsured drivers. If you do not have uninsured motorist insurance, and you are injured by a driver without insurance, there is no insurance coverage to compensate you for your medical bills, your lost work, or your injuries.
I know that insurance is expensive; however, with insurance premiums being as high as they are today, more and more people are driving their cars without having insurance. |
If you are a victim of their negligence, and you do not have uninsured motorists insurance, you realistically cannot recover damages.
UNDERINSURED MOTORIST INSURANCE (UIM) is insurance that pays the policyholder if the person who causes their injury does not have enough insurance. If you do not have underinsured motorist insurance, and your injuries are more severe and your damages are greater than the person’s insurance who injured you, there is no insurance coverage to compensate you for all of your medical bills, your lost work, or your injuries.
Let me give you an example: If you are severely injured and your medical bills are $100,000.00, and the person who injured you only has insurance in the amount of $25,000.00; your uncompensated medical bills total $75,000.00. ($100,000.00 - $25,000.00 = $75,000.00). If you have underinsured motorist insurance in the amount of $100,000.00, the remaining $75,000.00 of your medical bills may be paid by your underinsured motorist insurance company.
Another example is this: You and two of your children are severely injured in a collision. Your medical bills are $50,000.00, and each of your children’s medical bills are $30,000.00; thus, your family has a total of $110,000.00 in medical bills. If the person who injured you and your children had a $25,000.00 insurance policy, that $25,000.00 is the most that you can recover from their insurance company (in most cases). ($110,000.00 - $25,000.00 = $85,000.00 in uncompensated medical bills). If you do not have underinsured motorists insurance in the amount of at least $85,000.00, these medical bills will still be your financial responsibility (with some limited exceptions).
Uninsured motorist insurance and underinsured motorist insurance is relatively inexpensive compared to liability insurance; and if you are in a severe collision, you will probably need that extra insurance. Please discuss your uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance with your insurance agent to make certain that you have adequate protection. If you would like to discuss this, or any other issue having to do with a serious personal injury, please contact me at my toll free telephone number: 1 877 534-2271, or through e-mail at jdh@jdhaas.com. |
