You have an auto insurance liability policy in the required amount of $25,000 but what if a driver without the required coverage crashes into your vehicle? Seeking help from a personal injury attorney is a wise move that helps injured individuals make the best of a bad situation. Even though South Carolina requires every driver to have a minimum liability insurance coverage of $25,000, approximately 9.4% of the drivers in our state have NO liability insurance and are driving uninsured. Even more drivers have only the inadequate liability limits of $25,000 and are Underinsured.

The Effects of an Uninsured or Underinsured Driver

What happens when one of these Uninsured or Underinsured drivers crosses the center line and hits your car head on or otherwise negligently injures your family members in a collision? In these situations, the only way to replace your car or pay your medical bills is through the Uninsured (UM) or Underinsured (UIM) provisions of YOUR car insurance policy or policies. These situations are made worse when an injured driver didn’t purchase Uninsured Motorist (UM) or Underinsured Motorist (UIM) coverage because they weren’t required by law and thought the slight insurance premium increase was a waste of their money. 

The innocent driver is then responsible for paying their own medical bills and car damages instead of the at-fault driver. This can often total tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Personal injury attorneys have seen cases where families have lost their life savings to medical liens simply because they didn’t purchase UM or UIM coverage. 

How to Avoid Huge Losses After an Accident

These catastrophic situations are easily avoided simply by purchasing UM and UIM coverage with higher limits. Purchasing UM and UIM coverage in appropriate limits adds little to the premium paid for the liability coverage. (We will address issues of appropriate liability insurance limits and stacking of UM and UIM coverages to protect you and your family in upcoming articles.) 

In the meantime, for your protection and the protection of your family, examine your auto insurance policy and make sure you have purchased UM and UIM coverages on all of your auto insurance policies. If not, call your insurance agent today to bind those coverages to help protect you and your loved ones from the devastating consequences of colliding with an uninsured or underinsured driver.

At the Law Offices of Adrian L. Falgione LLC in Lexington, SC, an experienced personal injury attorney will represent you in all aspects of seeking fair compensation for you in your claims against the at fault driver and the insurance carriers even if the at fault driver is Uninsured or Underinsured. This dedicated lawyer offers his legal services throughout the Midlands region, providing personalized representation and vigorous advocacy for each client. Get the help you need to obtain the best possible outcome for your circumstances. Contact an experienced personal injury attorney online now, and call (803) 957-6543 to schedule a consultation.