What To Do When You’re Hit By Uninsured Driver?
If you’ve been injured in a car accident caused by an uninsured driver, you are probably concerned about who will pay your medical bills, lost wages, and property damage. While motorists in Virginia are required to show proof of auto insurance when registering their vehicle, they can also pay an uninsured motorist fee. Payment of this fee makes them an uninsured driver and subjects them to personal liability for any accident they cause. However, collecting from an uninsured driver is usually very difficult. If you’ve been hit by an uninsured driver, you will want to speak with an experienced Virginia uninsured accident lawyer to know your options.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage After a Car Accident
In Virginia, if you’ve been hit by an at fault driver with no insurance coverage, you may be able to recover money for your medical bills and lost wages through your own insurance company. Most drivers in Virginia have at least $25,000 in uninsured motorist coverage they can tap from their own insurance company if the other driver was uninsured. Often in Virginia, the amount of a driver’s uninsured motorist coverage is the same as their liability insurance coverage. You can determine your car insurance coverage amounts (including liability insurance coverage and uninsured coverage) from the declarations page on your policy or from your coverages dashboard online.
How to Deal With an Uninsured Accident
After an auto accident with an uninsured driver, it is essential that the police are called to the scene of the accident, if at all possible. A police report will be very helpful for documenting the at fault driver’s address and other contact information. The police report will also document auto insurance information or whether the other driver is an uninsured driver. While the other driver may promise to pay for your damaged vehicle, a promise doesn’t legally bind them to paying for your damages.
So, having a police report is helpful for confirming that the other driver is an uninsured motorist and also may be helpful to determine whether they have any assets that may help to cover your losses. Most times, however, if an at fault driver doesn’t have adequate insurance coverage, it is unlikely they will have sufficient assets that can be used to pay an uninsured motorist claim.
Calling Your Insurance Company After an Accident With an Uninsured Motorist
After calling the police and obtaining an accident report, the next priority is notifying your auto insurance company that you will be making a claim against your own uninsured motorist coverage. Your auto insurance should let you know how much uninsured motorist coverage you have available.
However, just because you are making a claim against your own uninsured motorist coverage doesn’t mean you’ll get all of the coverage or even get fair compensation from your uninsured motorist coverage. Even though it’s your own insurer, the insurance company’s priority is still to save money on insurance claims.
To make sure you don’t get taken advantage of by your insurance company after an uninsured motorist accident, you will want to speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer who can evaluate your claim and advise you about how you should proceed against the at fault driver and/or your own car insurance.
Talk with a Virginia Car Insurance Lawyer
If you have questions about how to settle an injury claim against uninsured drivers, the Ritchie Law Firm is here to help. If you are planning to handle your car accident claim without the help of a lawyer, it is best to get some advice before settling your claim. The experienced uninsured accident lawyers at the Ritchie Law Firm help car accident victims get the recovery they deserve after an auto accident. The best personal injury lawyers will have substantial recoveries for car accidents clients listed on their websites. Check out Ritchie Law Firm’s success with uninsured motorist cases on our settlements and recoveries page.
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Virginia and are concerned about dealing with the insurance adjuster after a Virginia auto accident, the Ritchie Law firm has you covered. The experienced, certified car accident attorneys at the Ritchie Law Firm have helped thousands of injured victims and their families recover the full compensation they deserve after an accident. Contact us by phone at 800-277-6124 or by using our online contact form to learn about your legal rights.
DON’T GET HURT TWICE!! Your car accident attorney team at the Ritchie Law Firm will help you deal with the insurance adjuster after a Virginia car accident. We have helped thousands of injured people get the money they deserve after they’ve been injured. Call today to get your free case evaluation and free consultation — 800-277-6124.
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Ritchie Law Firm is a Virginia and West Virginia serious injuries lawyer and car accident attorney law firm devoted to helping individuals who have suffered serious and catastrophic injuries or lost a loved one as a result of someone else’s negligence. The personal injury lawyers at the Ritchie Law Firm offers legal representation to all of Virginia, while helping clients in cities and surrounding areas of Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Staunton, and Winchester also serves clients in West Virginia, including Martinsburg, WV.
