Any time you hop in the driver’s seat, you subconsciously count on other motorists to do their part to keep you safe on the road. In the event that another driver causes you to suffer injury in an accident, you count on the driver fulfilling their financial obligations to cover your losses, including medical bills, lost wages, and other damages.
Unfortunately, 14% of Missouri drivers do not carry auto insurance, according to the Insurance Information Institute (III). If you suffered an injury in an accident with one of these uninsured motorists, you likely feel anxious about how you will recover your losses. A St. Louis uninsured car accident lawyer from Ben Crump Law, PLLC can help you.
Call Ben Crump Law, PLLC today at (844) 730-0233 for a free consultation.
Missouri’s Uninsured Motorist Insurance Requirements
Missouri Department of Insurance informs that Missouri requires insurance companies to offer uninsured motorist coverage (UM) to people who buy auto insurance. In fact, the state requires that any auto liability policy must include the following types of insurance:
- Bodily Injury: Pays for another person’s injuries if you cause an accident
- Property Damage Liability: Pays for damage done to another person’s car or property if you cause a collision
- Uninsured Motorists Insurance (UIM): Pays for bodily injuries you and your passengers suffer if an uninsured motorist causes an accident
UIM does not cover any damage your car takes on after an accident.
For a free legal consultation with a uninsured car accidents lawyer serving St. Louis, call (844) 730-0233
How Your Policy Represents Your Coverage
When you look at your auto insurance policy, you might find yourself struggling to interpret what the numbers signify. An example might help you understand the naming conventions your insurer uses.
If your insurance package shows 25/50/10, BI, PD, and 25/50 UM, you can break these numbers down as follows:
BI (Bodily Injury) and PD (Property Damage):
- 25: Maximum bodily injury liability coverage of $25,000 for injury or death of one person in one accident
- 50: Maximum bodily injury liability coverage of $50,000 for all injuries and deaths in one accident
- 10: Maximum property damage liability coverage of $10,000 for damage to another party’s property in one accident
UIM (Uninsured Motorist Insurance):
- 25: Maximum UIM coverage of $25,000 for one person in one accident
- 50: Maximum UIM coverage of $50,000 for all people in one accident
In the case of experiencing an accident caused by an uninsured motorist, your UIM coverage should pay for losses connected to any bodily injuries you suffered in the collision.
St. Louis Uninsured Car Accident Lawyer Near Me (844) 730-0233
What to Expect from Your Insurance Company
If your insurer tries to tell you that you waived UIM coverage, you should demand to see the waiver with your signature, proving this to be true. This is just one of many ways your insurance provider may try to challenge you when it comes to settling your claim.
After all, insurance is a business. They make money by selling policies and collecting premiums, not by paying out claims.
You should be prepared to meet with an adjuster who will fight your claim with an unfair advantage—the insurance company’s wealth of time-proven strategies for denying, stalling, or deeply undervaluing your claim.
Consider leveling the playing field by hiring a St. Louis uninsured car accident lawyer to fight for your right to receive compensation. The team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC knows all the tricks and tactics that insurers have up their sleeves. We will use our knowledge of these strategies and the law to fight for what you deserve.
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If Your Damages Exceed Your UIM Coverage
In the example policy outlined above, your policy would pay $25,000 in UIM coverage for your bodily injuries after an accident with an uninsured driver. Unfortunately, medical treatment can get expensive fast. If your injury losses total $40,000, you might consider filing a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver. In this case, a jury will weigh the facts of your case and determine whether to award you damages.
Because Missouri is a tort (at-fault) state, whoever the jury determines caused the car accident is liable for the damages suffered by any injured parties. However, the state adopted rules of pure comparative fault in 1983. This means that a jury will reduce your award by the percentage to which you caused the motor vehicle collision.
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Investigating Your Car Accident
Insurance companies can and do launch investigations into car accidents to determine fault, but they do not necessarily have your best interests at heart. When you hire Ben Crump Law, PLLC to handle your uninsured car accident case, our lawyers will conduct our own investigation. We will:
- Gather evidence at the scene of the accident
- Interview witnesses
- Review the police accident report
- Obtain photos and footage from surveillance cameras
- Work with accident reconstruction specialists
Our investigation will provide the evidence to support our argument that the other driver negligently caused the crash that caused your injuries.
Proving Damages
Once we have established the other driver negligently caused the accident, our attorneys will gather the evidence that supports the damages you suffered as a result of your injuries. Some of this evidence will come from:
- Medical reports
- Employer wage statements
- Expert opinions
We will present a compelling case aimed at convincing a jury that you deserve compensation that covers all the ways in which your injury has impacted you. Some of the types of damages you might recover include:
- Medical expenses, including treatment, medication, therapy, hospital stay
- Lost income and benefits
- Pain and suffering
If your loved one died as the result of injuries they suffered in a car accident, you might consider pursuing a wrongful death action. Ben Crump Law, PLLC can help you with this effort.
A St. Louis Uninsured Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You
The only thing you should be focused on after your accident is recovering from your injuries. Call Ben Crump Law, PLLC today, so we can take the burden of compensation off your shoulders.
Keep in mind that Missouri’s statute of limitations gives you only five years from the date of your injuries to take legal action. The sooner you begin, the more time you give your attorney to build your case.
Call Ben Crump Law, PLLC today for a free consultation: (844) 730-0233.
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