Uninsured motorist coverage comes in handy in many crash cases
While virtually every state requires motorists to carry auto insurance, there are some drivers who take a chance and never purchase it. If that person crashes into your car and injures you, you may wonder what happens next.
In every state, all new car owners are required to maintain full coverage insurance on their investment. This type of policy covers both liability and collision protection.
Most other motorists simply have to maintain established minimum liability coverage to remain in compliance with state laws. Depending on where you live, you may be required to have both property damage and personal injury coverage.
There are additional types of coverage that may be added to your policy, however. One of those is uninsured motorist coverage. It may cover either property or bodily damage. In most cases, insured drivers have to waive their uninsured motorist coverage in order to remove it from their policy.
If you didn’t sign a waiver saying that you did not want it, then you may be able to rely on it to cover you and your passengers’ expenses if you’re struck by a hit-and-run or uninsured driver.
In contrast, if you did sign it and a driver without insurance crashes into you, you may end up having to pay out-of-pocket for your own bills. This can be pretty daunting, especially since according to the Insurance Research Council, Tennessee is one of the top five states for having the highest rate of uninsured drivers.
Even if you’re not struck by a hit-and-run or uninsured motorist, having this type of coverage can help you cover any medical bills that exceed what the negligent party’s insurance covered. This type of insurance coverage can even be used to pay bills for another family member covered on your policy, even if they were riding in someone else’s car at the time of a crash.
One of the best ways that an injured motorist can send a message to the negligent party that they mean business is to file a lawsuit. Not all personal injury attorneys have experience taking cases to trial. By entrusting your legal matter to a Knoxville personal injury attorney who handles uninsured or underinsured claims, you could recover financial damages.