Every motorist should have Um/UIM coverage with their car insurance; any car accident lawyer will tell you that. Motorists in Texas must have liability insurance at the very least. Liability coverage pays for damages you may cause to the other party’s vehicle, but will not cover your damages.
Serious injuries or even death are possible with motor vehicle crashes. The required liability insurance may not prove sufficient for the damages which you may be entitled to recover due to another’s negligence. Accordingly, a review of your case will include all of the insurance available to pay these damages. Below, we describe um car insurance coverage and similar types of insurance to bridge the gap when the at-fault driver’s liability insurance is not enough.
What is UM/UIM Insurance Coverage?
With UM/UIM coverage, you have a deeper well from which to recover damages. Drivers need only have coverage of $30,000 for injuries per person, $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage to satisfy their obligations to have liability insurance.
Um insurance coverage applies in cases where the negligent motorist didn’t have any liability coverage at the time of the crash. You rely on under insured coverage when your damages rise above the amount coverage from the at-fault motorist. For example, suppose you suffer $80,000 in medical bills and pain and suffering. If the careless driver carried only the minimum coverage required, the under insured policy contributes $50,000 after the $30,000 from the liability policy compensate you for those personal injuries.
Note that under insured coverage never applies unless the other driver has at least the minimum coverage. This is because liability policies in Texas must offer at least the required minimums. As such, you may collect under an under insured policy even if the driver has more than the minimum liability coverage.
When you make a claim under your um car insurance coverage, your own auto insurance company becomes your adversary. This is because um uim insurance coverage does not pay if the other driver is not liable to you.
What Must You Do to Get UM/UIM Coverage?
Unless you opt out, you get uninsured coverage or the under insured benefits with nothing other than paying the premiums for it. Texas law requires auto insurers to provide UM UIM insurance coverage as part of their policies. That means you get it unless you reject it in writing. Once you decline, though, you must request it in writing should you decide to have the insurance after all.
Perhaps you have completely opting out in your mind to save on premiums. Consider getting only the UM bodily injury coverage. In many cases, the damage to the car likely won’t exceed the $25,000 minimum for property damage. Your past and future medical bills, lost wages or earning potential, disabilities, and pain and suffering may prove much more substantial than the minimum liability limits.
Sometimes, a UM/Uim coverage umbrella can draw you closer to full compensation for your injuries. These products contribute after you have exhausted the limits of the bad driver’s insurance and your own Um/Uim coverage.
Stacks As an Option for More Coverage
Stacking insurance coverage can increase your chances of full compensation for injuries. By accumulating the two types of coverage, you effectively increase the policy limits that may apply in a wreck. Typically, you can stack multiple vehicles under one policy.
With higher policy limits come higher premiums. Non-stacked Um/Uim coverage costs less, but you will lose the advantage of greater policy limits.
Non-stacked UM/UIM coverage does not necessarily hamper your recovery. Some automobile crashes may involve multiple at-fault drivers or other defendants who have contributed to your injuries. As part of a free case review, we will explore the circumstances of the crash, the drivers involved, and their actions. We even look at the conditions of the vehicles involved. Depending on the facts, you might have product liability claims if, say, your airbag does not deploy or some other vehicle malfunction causes your wreck.
In these cases, you might not have needed to purchase Um/Uim bodily injury coverage, umbrella, or other additional insurance. Multiple tortfeasors likely have their own liability insurance. With businesses, you might rely on commercial liability insurance to help recover your damages.
Ultimately, you must consider your own tolerance for risk of a potentially serious or catastrophic crash. That is what will determine whether you will be adequately compensated for your injuries. When you contact us for a free consultation, be sure to bring information of your own Um/UIM insurance coverage, as well as the insurance information from other drivers.
