If you have been involved in an accident and the other driver didn’t have insurance contact us today for a free, confidential consultation with a great, local Spokane Washington Car accident lawyer.
Washington requires anybody operating a motor vehicle on its roadways to have minimum liability insurance. That’s not much. It consists of:
- $25,000 per person for injury or death
- A maximum $50,000 for injury or death per occurrence
- $10,000 of property damage coverage
Just because that is the law, though, doesn’t mean that people follow it.
Uninsured motorist coverage
Uninsured motorist insurance coverage isn’t mandatory under Washington law. It’s required to be offered by insurers, but the mandatory minimum liability insurance statute doesn’t require you to buy it. We’re lawyers. We don’t sell insurance, but we strongly recommend that you get it. If you have uninsured motorist coverage, and you’re injured in an accident that was the fault of an uninsured motorist, you can probably make a claim with your own insurance company for the damages that you suffered. Some insurance companies will even pay for property damage resulting from the fault of an uninsured driver.
Who is insured by uninsured motorist coverage?
When you buy uninsured motorist insurance, you’ll be the named insured person in the event that you’re injured in an accident that was the fault of an uninsured driver. You’re probably not the only person covered though. It’s likely that any family members who are living in your household are additional insured persons too. Somebody driving or riding in your vehicle is also likely to be covered for uninsured motorists. Many uninsured motorist policies even cover you and family members who reside with you if they’re injured at the hands of an uninsured driver when they’re bicyclists or pedestrians.
Under insured coverage
Another benefit of uninsured motorist coverage is that under insured motorist coverage usually comes with it. If you’re in an accident that was caused by a driver who was insured but didn’t have enough insurance to cover your bodily injury damages, you’ll likely be able to make a claim with your insurer through your own under insured motorist insurance.
Hit-and-run-drivers
Your uninsured motorist insurance may also cover you if you’re injured in a crash that was caused by a hit-and-run driver. Hit-and-runs are often contested by insurance companies. They can collect premiums for coverage while denying claims due to insufficient evidence to support those claims. Common reasons for denial of these claims are:
- Asserting that the accident was the fault of the uninsured driver
- Alleging that the crash was actually the fault of a third party
- Stating that the injuries claimed weren’t caused by the crash
- Claiming that any injuries are not worthy of compensation
You’ll want to do whatever you can to document the identity of the other driver. Try to get any information that you can at the scene. Call 911, and ask that both police and paramedics come to the scene. The investigating officer will take down your version of events and put it in his or her accident report. The paramedics will document your injuries and transport you to the nearest emergency room for further examination and treatment.
Call us today
Call us as soon as possible after any crash involving an uninsured, under insured or hit-and-run driver for a free consultation and case evaluation. Protect your right to compensation. Your own insurance company might now be working against you.
