Getting into a car accident is never a good thing, but it can be even worse when the at-fault driver was driving without insurance. All states require car insurance for people who drive, yet there are always people who break this law and drive without it. When this happens, settling the case is not always easy, and it may not result in receiving as much compensation as you really deserve from the accident.
How Insurance Is Used To Settle Accidents
When car accidents occur and the drivers have insurance, it is the insurance company of the at-fault driver that typically pays the claim for the other driver. In fact, this is one of the main reasons insurance is required for drivers. It is required to protect innocent drivers who become victims of car accidents. Insurance is also required to protect assets, and that is why most people have insurance. They want to protect their cars and themselves in case they ever cause an accident.
Car accidents are not hard to settle when the drivers have insurance; however, problems arise when drivers do not have insurance, especially when at-fault drivers are driving without insurance.
The Options You Have When The Driver Did Not Have Insurance
Car accidents can happen at any time and at any place, and drivers do not choose who they get in accidents with. If you are ever in an accident caused by another driver, you should hope the other driver has insurance. If he or she does not, there are several options you have for settling the case.
The first option you can consider is filing a claim against your own car insurance policy. Most standard car insurance policies include coverage called uninsured motorist vehicle, and most also include underinsured motorist vehicle coverage. Both of these are there to protect you if you are in an accident with someone without insurance or someone without enough insurance.
If you have uninsured motorist coverage on your own policy, it will offer compensation to you in this situation. The only problem is that the compensation is limited. Uninsured motorist has limits on it, and the amount might not be enough to cover all your damages. If this is the case, you could at least receive some compensation.
Underinsured motorist is coverage you have that will compensate you if the other driver did not have enough insurance. If the other driver had at least a little bit of coverage, you might be able to receive some compensation from the other driver's insurance company and some from your own policy.
This is the best way to receive compensation if the other driver did not have insurance; however, there is one more option you could look into. If the at-fault driver has cash or assets on hand, you could sue him or her as an attempt to receive the compensation you are entitled to.
The only problem with this option is that most people who drive without insurance do not have insurance because they cannot afford it. If this is the case, a driver without insurance is not likely to have any money on hand to use to pay you for the compensation you deserve.
What You Can Do
If you are in this type of situation and do not know what to do, your best option is to contact a law firm that specializes in car accident cases. Law firms that handle car accident cases may be able to offer other options to you for settling your case. If you would like to learn more about this, contact a car accident attorney, like one from Bangel, Bangel, & Bangel, today.
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