What Happens if the Person Who Hit Me Has Little or No Insurance?
If you get hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver, your uninsured motorist or underinsured motorist policies may pay for your damages, if you have these types of insurance coverage, but you may still need a lawyer’s help to get the insurance companies to pay enough to cover all your accident-related expenses.
Calling the insurance company and buying an insurance policy is part of buying a car; when it is your first car, signing up for car insurance feels like a rite of passage. In fact, the law requires all drivers to carry liability insurance, but in practice, not all of them do. Approximately 15% of drivers in California do not have liability insurance, but that is only one insurance problem you might encounter if you get in a car accident. The insurance that drivers are legally required to carry is enough to pay for the damage that results from a minor accident, but if you get seriously injured, your accident-related expenses might be more than the other driver’s insurance policy will cover. It is possible to buy additional insurance policies that will protect you in situations like these. No matter how much insurance coverage you have, you may still need the help of a Temecula car accident lawyer to get the money you need from the insurance companies.
Types of Car Insurance in California
These are the main types of insurance you will deal with if you get injured in a car accident:
- Liability insurance – This insurance covers the property damage and medical expenses that result from an accident that you cause. California law requires all drivers to carry liability insurance.
- Uninsured motorist coverage – This insurance coverage pays for your property damage and medical expenses when the accident was not your fault, but the at-fault driver did not have insurance.
- Underinsured motorist insurance – This insurance coverage applies when you did not cause the accident, and the at-fault driver has liability insurance, but your accident-related expenses are more than the at-fault driver’s insurance will cover. It pays the expenses that are left after you receive some money from the other driver’s insurance company.
You Might Still Need a Car Accident Lawyer, Even if You Have Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist Coverage
No one ever said it was easy to get insurance companies to pay you the money they promise to pay. No matter how much insurance coverage you have, insurance companies will try to pay you as little as possible. You have a better chance of getting a fair settlement if a car accident lawyer negotiates with the insurance companies on your behalf. The best time to contact a lawyer is before the insurance company asks you for a recorded statement.
Contact a Murrieta Car Accident Lawyer
A car accident lawyer in Riverside County can help you if you suffered serious injuries in a car accident that involved an uninsured or underinsured driver. Contact Gibbs & Fuerst LLP in Murrieta, California to set up a consultation about your car accident case.