Nearly one in five drivers in California do not have insurance. Even those who do have insurance often only have the minimum amount of insurance that California law requires. This means that if you are involved in a car accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver, and you sustained serious injuries, their policy is not likely to cover all your damages.
It is all too common for a driver to realize this fact and assume that they have no options and that they cannot recover the appropriate compensation for their injuries. This is not necessarily true. There are actually several ways you could collect on your accident. Read on to learn about them and then contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free legal consultation.
You may be able to collect from your own insurance company
The first thing we will do is look at your own insurance policy to see if you have uninsured / underinsured coverage. You may not, as it is not required in the state of California, but if you do you then you can collect on it if the driver was uninsured. Since so many drivers do not have adequate coverage in the state of California, we do recommend that our clients get uninsured / underinsured motorist coverage to protect themselves.
More about uninsured / underinsured motorist coverage
Also known as UM/UIM, this type of coverage can be thought of like a safety net. It is there in case the at-fault driver cannot cover your damages with their own policy. If you are injured in that type of accident, then your UM/UIM coverage pays the difference between the limits of the at-fault driver’s policy and the actual amount of your damages – up to the limits of your own coverage. As a result, you may want to purchase the maximum coverage allowed.
UM/UIM is generally fairly inexpensive compared to what it can offer. It also applies to more than just economic damages such as lost income and medical care, it can cover pain and suffering as well. You may also have medical pay insurance (or med pay), which is used to pay your medical expenses – but it is not used for lost income, property damage, etc.
We will consider all potential roads toward compensation
We will look closely at your accident to find any and all causes and factors that may have contributed to the accident. For example, even if the accident was primarily caused by another driver running a red light, if the brakes were also faulty then the brake manufacturer or installer could be partially at fault. If the driver does not have sufficient insurance but does have personal wealth, then you may be able to sue them directly.
To find out what your real options are, we recommend contacting The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 right now for a free legal consultation. We can go over your choices and help you make the most informed decision.
