What Happens If an Uninsured Car Driver Crashes into You?
Oklahoma motor laws require car owners to have minimum insurance of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident to register the vehicle. Law enforcement may ask you to produce proof of insurance if they have enough reason to stop your car. Sounds like a solid system, right? Only, more than 25% of the drivers in Oklahoma cancel their car insurance once the vehicle is registered.
What happens if an uninsured motorist hits you and ends up causing damage to your vehicle and/or injuring you and your passengers? Well, our car accident lawyers infer that uninsured motorist (UM) coverage can help you out in your pinch.
NOTE - Oklahoma legally mandates insurers to offer you UM coverage, you are free to decline the offer but you will be asked to provide a written statement that you were indeed offered the UM coverage but declined to purchase it.
How Does the UM Coverage work?
The UM coverage is a great way to insure yourself against an accident with a driver who doesn’t have car insurance. Only a few states have necessitated UM insurance, but Oklahoma like most states has necessitated that the insurance companies are sure to offer UM to their policyholders. Your UM insurance cannot exceed the amount of your standard liability insurance. Car accident lawyers urge you to remember that Uninsured Motorist Coverage only pays for bodily injuries. You are advised to purchase Uninsured Motorist Property Damage Coverage to avail insurance for vehicular damage.
Difference between No-fault States and At-fault States
The primary difference between No-fault and At-fault states is that in the latter the injured party can seek compensation from the part at fault. Whereas No-fault states don’t allow the plaintiff to ask the other party to pay for compensation and their individual insurances bear the brunt of the medical expenses.
Currently, there are only 12 no-fault states nationwide, Oklahoma is one of the remaining 38 at-fault states.
Important UM Insurance Facts to Remember
The UM coverage is only applicable if you yourself are at no fault in the accident.
In case you were hit by an uninsured motorist as a pedestrian, the UM coverage on your own vehicle will extend protection.
All passengers in the car injured at the time of accident will be covered under your UM policy.
If it was a hit-and-run, you will need to have filed a report with the police and potentially hire a car accident lawyer.
In a few cases, for the UM insurance to be applied, the other motorist’s vehicle must have made contact with your vehicle. Suppose you see an approaching car losing control and in an attempt to evade the collision you strike a tree, your insurer will not cover the injury/damage under UM unless the two cars have been in direct contact.
The Bottom Line
Car accident claims are often complicated, Chiaf Law Offices, P.C. can help you out! We build a compelling case and emphasis on maximizing your compensation. Our law firm has been serving the Oklahoma City area for 20 years. We will be happy to review your case for free too. Are you worried hiring a car accident lawyer might not be in your best financial interests? Chiaf law does not charge you a penny until your compensation is recovered. For more information call us at (405) 524-1501!
**This content is not legal advice and does not presume, establish or imply any relationship between client and attorney.