Uninsured motorist claims for bodily injury

Hi everyone, Barry from the LawFull channel. Uninsured motorist claims for bodily injury can be some of the trickiest auto insurance claims to pursue. Did you know that if you are injured in an auto accident and settle your personal injury claim with the defendant’s insurance company before getting your own auto insurance company’s approval, you could lose your right to pursue your uninsured motorist coverage? Read below to find more information about

Barry Zlotowicz on social media:

Instagram: @legalvlogger

It’s estimated that 12-15% of all drivers on the road today do not have auto insurance. The next time you’re driving, count 10 cars real quick. Chances are at least 1 of them doesn’t have insurance.

The only way you can protect yourself is to have your own insurance. But you need a specific kind of insurance called uninsured AND underinsured motorist coverage.

Uninsured protection or UM coverage means that you if you’re hit by an uninsured driver, you may still be able to recover from your own insurance for your damages.

Underinsured protection or UIM coverage is what you tap into if you are hit by an underinsured driver – meaning, someone with auto insurance coverage but not enough to compensate you for your damages

When I talk to people, they always say the same thing: “I have full coverage.” Most of the time they don’t. And if they do have UM and UIM it’s a very small amount.

They weren’t advised by their insurance broker or the website they bought their insurance from about the importance of having enough UM and UIM insurance.

A few videos on YouTube even say that UM isn’t worth it. Don’t listen to them. It’s critical to have as much UM insurance as you can afford. We always recommend at least $100,000 of it.

In most cases, the cost of increasing your insurance policy is very reasonable. I think we just don’t hear more about it because there’s so much competition in the insurance industry that websites and possibly insurance brokers have to offer the best price to get the business so important things like UM insurance get left out

By the way, if you get hit by a car while walking in the street, or while riding a bicycle or as a passenger in someone else’s car, your UM and UIM coverage will in most cases cover you in these situations as well.

[Intelliclicksoftware]

Barry, your videos are wonderful. They really open my eyes to legal matters that can affect me and since I am not originally from here, your tips make me more knowledgeable and comfortable before involving an attorney. Good stuff!

[SimplyCherie]

Yes, my insurance agent has always emphasized the under & uninsured insurance. Do all states require insurance? How does someone drive without insurance? Is my child, who is not of age to drive, covered as a pedestrian or riding a bike? Thanks.

[ericsims]

Can you give me an example on a commercial auto policy where damages or bodily injury caused by an Uninsured Motorist or Under Insured would not be picked up under another policy. My employees injuries would be picked up by my WC policy. My damages would be picked up by my collision, and because it’s a not at fault accident, my rates wouldn’t be affected. I’m told that because my company assumed the liability of a third party, I now leave myself open to a $1mil lawsuit from my own employee on top of the WC benefits he’s already getting. Am I paying more to invite more liability than I otherwise would?

[ShhurikVaio]

Hi. We have UMBI. My husband and i were involved in a pile up with over 25 vehicles involved. I have multiple injuries: broken tail bone, needed surgery, broken spine disks, hospital stay. It happened about a week and a half ago and insurance claims they cannot cover any medical bills. I am still limited of what i can do and mostly in bed because of pain. What can we do in this case?

[Armando_]

i got rear ended and torn my acl and meniscus going to have surgery here soon my thing is the person didn’t have insurance at the time and i also didn’t have uninsured motorist coverage at the time of accident it’s ben about 3 months since the accident but now i do have the uninsured motorist coverage how does this work or what can i do?

[DavidL]

Will my insurance rates go up or could I be dropped or could I be "black listed" if I make a UIM claim against my Car Insurance company in Texas?

[MdIslam-qdge]

Hi,
I recently got an accident by someone who is in fault and do not have good coverage/under insured. I claimed to my insurance about this accident. My car got total lost, and I was not injured. By the way, I have UM coverage. My insurance company pay me only the damage of the car after deductable. Now I have few questions to ask. Why is my insurance keep the deductible when I have UM coverage? Why I didn't get paid for the wages I lost even though I wasn't hospitalized? Please kindly answer me these questions and I can mention to my adjuster.

[Malikgottablast]

I was in a accident with a friend in Florida, he has uninsured motorist insurance and we were hit by a careless driver (who has no bodily injury insurance & was driving a company car) causing the front of the car to be smashed in . No one in my house wanted there insurance bill to go up because of a claim and I have no car nor car insurance ... would I still be entitled to recovery funds in this situation? Thanks for your time

[TheMichaelJu]

How can I find out if uninsured motorist bodily injury and underinsured bodily injury coverage covers walking pedestrian in Hawaii?

[itsnotmeitsyou]

omg i just found you . id like to file civil law suit for property damages in California . just subscribed. . its sad that we dont seek this info unless we need it, my son was hurt. has back pain couldn't walk for 2 weeks.

[bobbiejean]

Will I lost my UIM, claim if I sign settlement release with language to indemnify the adverse policy holder,

[deenice]

Hello I’m from California and I was recently rear ended by a uninsured motorist. I am now wondering can I ask my insurance company for pain and suffering settlement as I do have back pain and also recently two months ago had back surgery. I am so frustrated. What should I do and what should I ask for?

[tjmoosemanzata]

Hi Barry, Question: Is there ever a good time NOT to buy this coverage as a Corp? I’m in CA and work for a large company, and a gal we worked with (driving the Company Owned Car) was killed. (She was not at fault, he was driving as an individual (with adequate limits) for CA. The Claimant I worked with and was killed - her husband was compensated for her death claim thru CA WC & the other driver’s insurance (about $100K). Apparently my company waived the UM/UIM due to a large amount of auto claims the fleet had. Does this save the Corp money? Because from what I hear they had to elect not to offer UM/UIM because the carrier wouldn’t offer it. (Should she have been compensated by our company further? Isn’t the damage to the company vehicle damage paid by the company Auto insurance policy? And any death or bodily injury - shouldn’t that be covered under the the work comp policy? Just curious why the lawyer went from the at fault driver - to the Company insurance. Then when the UM/UIM was waived, ...the attorney seemed out of options. Isn’t that good for the company (sadly) because they don’t have to pay the husband of my co-worker who was driving a car that was given to her? Or should the company always carry it (if they can - which they couldn’t because their claims were really bad). Thoughts?

[Xarnage_ENT]

Hi, I was hit by a pizza delivery driver who had insurance but the insurance didn’t cover him while he was driving for work. His insurance denied liability but I have UIM and UM coverage what’s the chances I can receive money from my policy? (Pennsylvania)

[JasonDunnHogHunting]

My daughter was rear-ended and pushed into the car in front of her and the guy that hit her was in his girlfriends car and their insurance was out of date. They don't seem to have much in assets what can I do to get her car repaired and can the lady that she was pushed into sue me because they didn't have insurance?

[honestabe]

How long does it take for your own insurance company to reply to demand letter after you've gotten policy limit from at fault drivers Insurance company?

[zrfofft]

I was rearended by an uninsured driver, I was diagnosed with a concussion, whiplash and separation in my left shoulder, my SUV was a total loss.
I had physical therapy, and I am still experiencing vertigo. I got an offer in the mail today, for $1800. 00 without justifying the offer. I have 100/300 UM/UIM. this is ridiculous. I know there is a formula to calculate the worth of my claim. Any suggestions?

[kstutz]

I was injured in Ohio back in September. Nothing broken just serious neck and back pains. Treated with steroids and muscle relaxers. Also 7 visits to a chiropractor. Current pain levels are low enough to where I think diet and exercise will eliminate. All State is offering $1500 in pain and suffering and I feel that is extremely low. What should I expect, ball park?

[strokerace]

I was in my cousins truck when an unlicensed and uninsured motorist hit us. The crash totaled my cousins truck and I was sent to the hospital. Insurance paid my cousin $32, 000 for his truck, but he is getting ill with me because he doesn’t want his insurance company to drop him.

[austincameron]

I have a question... how can I get ahold of you