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It depends on the type of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UI) you have, your damages, the policy limit, and some other types of coverage. In this article, we’ll go over some of the factors affecting how much your claim is worth and why uninsured motorist coverage is so crucial. While some uninsured motorist policies are more robust than others, almost any uninsured motorist coverage is better than none if you’ve been hit by an uninsured driver.
However, collecting damages from an insurance company for any type of claim is not always easy. This is one reason why claimants who have the assistance of a car accident lawyer are more likely to receive a settlement and at higher amounts. If you’ve been injured in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence, the best action is to seek legal advice before doing anything else.
Attorney Ali Awad is experienced in fighting big insurance companies for his clients. Only a few years ago, he opened the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, which quickly became one of the fastest-growing law firms in the country. When he’s not working to get his clients the best settlement possible, he delivers down-to-earth wisdom about legal topics to more than a million followers on social media. For a free consultation about your case, please contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm to learn more about your options.
What Is My Uninsured Motorist Claim Worth?
First, your attorney will want to go over all your damages to make sure everything is accounted for. This is one reason why legal representation is important – unless you’re an insurance industry expert, it’s very difficult to accurately compute your own damages. Many people miss expenses that should be counted or forget to consider future costs. Here are some potential damages we generally go over with clients when determining what their car accident claim is worth:
- Medical bills – current and future bills if you have ongoing treatment.
- Other expenses associated with your treatment – mobility aids, travel costs to see a specialist, home health services, or other services for things you can no longer do yourself due to your injuries, like house cleaning. Usually these things are not covered by insurance but are nevertheless necessary after certain injuries.
- Pain and suffering for both physical and mental suffering or anguish.
- Permanent disability or disfigurement resulting from your injuries.
- Loss of enjoyment of life if you’re no longer able to continue your previous lifestyle.
- Property damage – usually car repair costs or replacement if the car is totaled, but can also include other property damaged in the accident, like a laptop or phone.
Once we’ve determined how much your claim is worth, we go over the client’s available insurance coverage. Typically the at-fault driver is expected to be responsible for these costs, but if they don’t have any insurance, there is little chance of recovering from them.
Can’t I Just Sue the Other Driver Then?
You can, but in most cases you won’t recover anything even if you win. The most common reason people lack car insurance is because it’s too expensive for their budget. Someone who can’t afford a monthly car insurance premium for basic liability insurance probably can’t afford to reimburse you for medical bills and car repair costs either. Chances are they will end up going bankrupt and you’ll still be stuck with a pile of bills. This is why uninsured motorist coverage exists.
My Uninsured Motorist Coverage Will Take Care of All My Damages?
This depends entirely on what kind of policy you have and how much your claim is worth. UI/UM policies start at $25,000 in bodily injury coverage and $25,000 in property damage coverage, the same as the state minimums for liability insurance. Those are the least expensive policies you can buy, but you can also purchase a much larger policy. For example, if you have $100,000 in UM/UI coverage, there’s a good chance we’ll be able to recover all or most of your damages. However, sometimes the insurance company will quibble about covering certain costs. In other situations, a client’s damages may be catastrophic and even higher than the $100,000 limit.
If you’re in a situation where your damages are higher than your policy limit, there are two other possible options for getting the balance paid: MedPay and Collision insurance. Like UM/UI, these policies are not required under Georgia law, but they are very helpful in uninsured motorist accidents. MedPay takes care of your medical costs regardless of fault in the crash, and Collision insurance serves the same function for car repairs.
What if the Other Driver Is Insured, but Their Policy Doesn’t Cover All of My Damages?
This is the “UI,” or underinsured part of your policy. There are two types of UM/UI coverage: Stacking and non-stacking. Non-stacking is cheaper and guarantees you’ll have the policy limit in coverage. If the other driver already has that amount of coverage, the non-stacking policy pays nothing, even if you still have a balance. A stacking policy will pay out if the other driver is underinsured for your amount of damages to the limit of your UM policy.
How Much Uninsured Motorist Coverage Do I Need?
No one buys insurance hoping they’ll have to use it because no one ever plans to have an accident. But that’s what insurance is for – things you don’t plan. For this reason, it’s hard to predict how much coverage you might need in a situation you hope never happens. But because serious accidents do occur, we recommend buying as much coverage as you can afford. Stacking policies provide you with more options than non-stacking ones if the other driver is underinsured. However, if all you can afford is the bare minimum of UM/UI coverage, it’s still better than having no UM/UI coverage at all in the event that you’re injured by an uninsured driver.
The CEO Lawyer Has Your Back
If you or a loved have been hurt in a car accident and need help with your claim, please contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm for a review of your case and options. Our injury and accident lawyers are top-rated and will fight for every dollar you deserve. If we take your case, we work on a contingency basis, so you don’t have to pay anything until we win. Find out how much your case is worth, and let us help you develop a winning legal strategy.