Car Accident With Driver With No Insurance?

Attorney Trent Shuping | 888-981-5602 | Free Consult

“You can’t always necessarily take the word of the responding police officer, and certainly not the word of someone’s insurance company that’s maybe looking to limit having to pay you something fair.”

What should you do if you’re involved in a car accident with a driver with no insurance? The best course of action: protect yourself with uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) before an accident occurs. After an accident, contact an attorney to make sure you’re making the best decisions possible following a crash.

Trent Shuping is a personal injury attorney and partner at the Atlanta-based Warshauer Law Group.

To learn more, contact the attorney directly by calling 888-981-5602 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge for the consultation, and you never owe any out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Key Takeaways From Trent Shuping:

UM and UIM insurance refers to Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist coverage. This type of coverage is extremely useful to have if you find yourself involved in a collision with an uninsured or underinsured driver without the money to pay your damages.

Some states, including Georgia, require policyholders to purchase a minimum requirement of UM/UIM coverage.

While this required coverage can be waived, this is not recommended. In fact, many experts recommend purchasing as much UM/UIM coverage as possible to ensure that you are as protected as possible in the event of a collision with an uninsured or underinsured motorist.

The amount of liability coverage you have also indicates the maximum amount that your insurance company is willing to pay the other driver if you are at fault and they are injured. However, in many cases, the other driver’s expenses exceed that liability coverage if a policyholder has only purchased the minimum amount. This is why it is wise to increase the minimum liability coverage as you add or increase your UM/UIM coverage.

UM/UIM coverage can also help in the case of a hit and run accident.

Even if you don’t know the other driver or the state of their insurance policy, UM/UIM coverage can be applied to cover your injuries and subsequent damages in a hit and run accident. Even in the event that police are able to locate the driver responsible for the hit and run, it is unlikely they have the insurance or assets available to pay any significant amount toward your damages. This is another time when having UM/UIM coverage is vitally important.

If you are unsure where the fault lies for an accident, seek legal counsel.

The law varies from state to state regarding whether you are still eligible to receive compensation even if you were partially at fault for the accident. Fault can sometimes be hard to evaluate when it comes to these situations, so it’s a good idea to talk to an experienced car accident attorney and get their opinion on your relative liability in an accident and what you might be eligible for.

There are several things you can do to immediately begin protecting yourself after an accident.

Ask for a copy of the police report so you can prove how the accident happened to the insurance companies involved. This report will also help you learn more about the other driver’s insurance company. It’s also wise to contact your own insurance company immediately after an accident to see if you have any coverage that might be applicable to help with the damages sustained in the accident. It’s a good idea to talk to an attorney after a car accident, especially if there are any extenuating circumstances. Shuping recommends every driver take the time to call their insurance company before a wreck to get a better idea of what level of protection they are currently being afforded, as well as what kind of protections are available to them.

To learn more, contact Trent Shuping directly by calling 888-981-5602 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge for the consultation, and you never owe any out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Disclaimer: This video is for informational purposes only. In some states, this video may be deemed Attorney Advertising. The choice of lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements.