Understanding Uninsured Motorist Coverage
Understanding Uninsured Motorist Coverage
While Ohio drivers are required to carry liability insurance, terrible accidents are often caused by uninsured drivers.
For those whose lives are forever changed by these crashes, it can make a terrible situation even worse. You might have to take unpaid time off of work. Medical bills pile up, all while you face life-altering injuries with no insurance assistance.
But there’s something everyone can do to protect themselves from this nightmare. Purchase Uninsured/Underinsured Coverage with your auto insurance policy. Uninsured motorist coverage provides a cushion for people who are injured in auto accidents caused by negligent, uninsured drivers. And it often costs only a few dollars a month.
Here are two examples of our clients whose situations were turned around thanks to uninsured motorist insurance.
Hit and Run Victim Wins Big
A few years ago, a gentleman contacted our office after a catastrophic accident caused by an intoxicated, uninsured driver. The driver fled the scene, leaving our client bleeding on the side of the road. Our client suffered a broken hip and a severely-fractured femur, both of which required surgical care.
He spent three weeks in inpatient rehabilitation before months of physical therapy that kept a previously active man in his early twenties off work for more than six months.
With no liability insurance, our client could have been looking at financial and personal catastrophes.
Because he carried UM coverage, our office was able to secure a six-figure recovery for our client from his insurance!
Underinsured Motorist Insurance Covers Insurance Gap
Another common scenario we encounter is when a client is seriously injured by someone whose insurance policy limits do not cover the total damages caused by an accident.
Underinsured motorist coverage bridges the gap between the low policy limits and the total cost of the injuries and damages caused. This was especially critical for our client who sustained numerous fractures and a serious head injury after being struck on the roadway by a distracted driver.
Although the at-fault driver did have insurance coverage, it was nowhere near enough to cover the extent of our client’s injuries. However, by discovering and pursuing an underinsured motorist coverage policy, we were able to triple our client’s recovery and secure a settlement well into six figures.
What you can do
None of us can control what others do, either on the roads or in buying insurance. But by making sure our auto policies have UM/UIM coverage, we take an important step toward protecting ourselves from the negligence and lawlessness of others. If you wonder whether you’re protected by uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, contact our office for a free review of your auto insurance policy.
