When you are injured in an accident involving any kind of motor vehicle, it is usually the at-fault driver’s carrier that is responsible for compensating you for your injuries, medical expenses (past and future), lost wages and pain and suffering. This compensation is paid to you at the conclusion of your case out of the at-fault driver’s bodily injury coverage.
In the State of Florida, it is only mandatory for the owner of a motor vehicle to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage and Property Damage (PD). No licensed driver and owner of a motor vehicle is legally required to carry bodily injury (BI) coverage to compensate any victims injured or killed as a result of the at-fault driver’s negligence. The possibility exists that if you are involved in a motor vehicle accident that the at-fault driver may not have any BI coverage to compensate you for your injuries and damages.
Insureds can carry what is known as “UM/UIM” insurance also known as uninsured/underinsured coverage on their own policy. Companies will require you to carry BI coverage on your policy if you want to carry UM/UIM coverage to protect yourself. They also will only allow you to carry this additional coverage in no more than the amount of BI coverage that you carry.
For example, if you carry at 10/20 BI policy to compensate someone injured as a result of your negligence, you will only be allowed to carry UM/UIM coverage in the amount of 10/20.
Oftentimes insurance agents or brokers do not do a thorough job of explaining the benefits of UM/UIM coverage. Most times, people will reject UM/UIM coverage because there is an additional premium for the coverage, and we all know the cost of insurance is already high.
What is not explained to you is that if you sustain an injury in a motor vehicle accident as a result of the negligence of another driver and that driver has no BI coverage, your UM/UIM coverage will pay to compensate you for your injuries. The amount of the recovery is limited to the amount of coverage that you purchased at the time that you bought and paid for your coverage.
When you are insured and the other driver has no BI coverage, Injury Florida Law Firm will request a copy of the UM/UIM rejection form to see if it was signed by you. Sometimes an agent or broker will neglect to have you sign the appropriate rejection form. If your insurance company cannot produce a signed UM/UIM rejection form, they have to provide coverage to you in the same amount as the BI coverage that you carry on your policy.
This probably sounds very confusing. The truth of the matter is that navigating UM/UIM coverage is intended to be confusing to individuals who try to represent themselves for injuries and other damages sustained in a car accident. Adjusters are hopeful that their own insureds do not understand how UM/UIM coverage works and therefore they will not have to pay out a claim.
To really protect yourself and your future after an automobile accident that is not your fault, you need to retain the services of a law firm that has represented injured clients and knows how to deal with insurance carriers and understands all the coverages that are available.
Consultations are FREE at Injury Florida Law Firm. You do not pay any FEES or COSTS unless you receive a recovery. Injury Firm Florida Law will fight hard to help you get the compensation that you deserve for your injuries, your pain and suffering, medical expenses and lost wages. If the other driver has no BI coverage, we will fight hard to claim the UM/UIM benefits available to you under your own coverage.
If you are injured in an automobile accident, contact Injury Florida Law Firm to represent you. And when the insurance company calls you to settle with you for $500, you can tell them call my attorneys – Injury Florida Law Firm at 1-833-LAW-STONE.