Uninsured motorist coverage can help cover accident-related costs

Although many jurisdictions require that motorists maintain auto insurance, many individuals don’t. Then there are also those cases in which motorists aren’t licensed or insured. In an effort to avoid prosecution, these motorists often leave the scene of crashes. If you’ve suffered injuries after having been struck by someone who left the scene of the crash or didn’t have insurance, then you may be wondering what options you have for recovering compensation in your case.

Enter in uninsured or uninsured motorist (UM or UIM) coverage. In some states, having this type of insurance is optional. One of the greatest benefits in having UM coverage added to your insurance policy is that is that it can protect you from being left on the hook paying your medical bills and other costs resulting from a wreck that you didn’t cause.

In a typical traffic accident case, you’d simply file a claim for these expenses with the insurance carrier that the at-fault motorist had. It would cover most out-of-pocket expenses such as medical and car repair costs. It would also provide an avenue through which you could file a lost wages claim.

Most insurance companies offer two types of UM coverage, property damage and bodily injury options. Unless you took out both when you purchased your policy, then you may also be left paying for expenses.

The way it typically works is that UM benefits are stacked according to how many vehicles you have on your auto insurance policy. If you get involved in an accident and suffer serious injuries, then your bills can easily exceed over $100,000 dollars. If you happen to have two cars on your policy with $50,000 of coverage on each, then any expenses you incurred would be covered up to $100,000.

Determining whether you have UM coverage can be tricky. Most states require insurance companies to provide proof that you were told about the coverage and signed a waiver expressing your disinterest in it in order to certify that you don’t have it.

In hit-and-run cases, insurance companies will often try to discredit their insured in hopes that they have to pay out less. This is one of the reasons that it can be helpful for you to have a Knoxville uninsured/underinsured motorist accidents attorney who can and will go to trial handling your case.