Truck Accident/ Auto Accident/Pedestrian Accident: Why you need Uninsured Motorist Coverage.
It was recently reported that a man is in the hospital in serious condition after he allegedly stole an SUV and crashed it into a concrete flood control tunnel during a police pursuit. The thief found the SUV running and unlocked at a convenience store. Investigators said the owner of the vehicle quickly called police after watching the thief hop in the driver's seat and take off. Police located the SUV traveling on the freeway a short time later.
During the brief pursuit, the thief crossed the median into oncoming freeway traffic which clearly caused a significant risk to other vehicles on the roadway. Several vehicles had to pull to the side of the roadway to avoid a collision. He also drove through the median narrowly missing a sheriff's deputy vehicle who was preparing to assist in the pursuit. The driver ultimately turned off the freeway and drove through a barbed wire fence before crashing into the concrete floor control tunnel, where the vehicle came to a stop. Fortunately, no other vehicles were involved in the crash. However, this situation is very typical of how an Uninsured Motorist claim arises.
Some of our clients don’t find out that they have terrible auto insurance until it’s too late. They have been involved in an accident and they are sitting in front of us talking about what they can do. By then it’s too late to change anything. The coverage you have when a car accident occurs is fixed as of that date and nothing can change it. So be sure to get the right coverage from the start.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage provides coverage for damages incurred in car, truck, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents involving an uninsured, negligent driver. You’re a good law-abiding citizen, and you go out and spend way too much of your hard earned pay on auto insurance. Then a day comes when you are injured in a motor vehicle accident. What happens if the other driver failed to get any insurance at all? (Same result if the car or truck was stolen.) What happens is your own insurance steps in and becomes the insurance for the other vehicle, but only up to the amount of Uninsured Motorist coverage you have purchased on your policy. Many insurance carriers will offer a very low amount of coverage ($25,000) to you linked with an offer to save a certain percentage of the premium.
The insurance carrier does not explain what the coverage is, only that you can save money by choosing a lower amount of coverage. By offering a small savings on insurance premiums, insurance carriers try to influence their customers to opt for inadequate Uninsured Motorist Coverage and thus limit the insurer’s exposure to payments for auto accidents involving uninsured, negligent drivers. They don’t tell you that UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE IS THERE TO PROTECT YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES by compensating you for injuries and losses caused by a negligent driver.
Utah does not require drivers to carry Uninsured Motorist Coverage and you can choose not the have that coverage. However, the premium for that coverage is usually under $10.00! It is not worth opting out. We’ve seen clients stuck with huge hospital and surgical bills because the responsible party was not insured and they OPTED OUT OF UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE!
Call the experienced Auto Accident, Truck accident and Pedestrian accident attorneys at William Rawlings & Associates. Put our award winning team on your side. We are available 24/7 to talk about your injury accident. The call is free and we charge nothing until we win or settle your case…Guaranteed!