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You may be the safest driver around. The kind of driver that never takes chances and always follows speed limits and traffic signals. That’s great. But as long as you share the road with other vehicles, you run the risk of being involved in a collision—and sustaining serious injuries– with an inadequately insured or uninsured driver.
As attorneys representing people in Chicago car accidents with uninsured motorists, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC know how a collision with an unresponsible driver can impact your life. Our office has successfully negotiated hundreds of uninsured motorist cases with drivers' own auto insurance carriers. Contact us for a free case review of your UM case today.
Auto claims against your own car insurance carrier in the form of UM / UIM claims
Normally, when you sustain a personal injury due to the fault of another party, you are entitled to pursue a claim or lawsuit for all of the damages as set forth under the law. However, little can be done when the person who caused the accident has inadequate insurance or personal assets to adequately compensate you. This is a good reason to have uninsured motorist (UM) or underinsured motorist (UIM) as part of your auto insurance coverage.
Dangers from other drivers without adequate insurance coverage on Illinois roads
Unknown to many people, Illinois law only requires car owners to have minimum auto insurance coverage including $20,000 for injury or death of one person in an auto accident, $40,000 for injury or death involving two or more people in a car accident and $15,000 in property damage coverage.
Hypothetically, even the most severely injured person may only recover $20,000 for their injuries. Yes, even a pedestrian hit by a car in a crosswalk and incurred thousands of dollars in medical bills related to his injuries might only recover $20,000 for his injuries– even though his case may be worth quite a bit more.
Making matters worse, a difficult economy has resulted in increasing numbers of drivers who ignore these statutory auto insurance requirements or who skip out on making premium payments resulting drivers on the roads without any insurance coverage at all.
If you are injured in an automobile— or any type of accident involving a motor vehicle (pedestrian, motorcycle, bicycle) —and the value of your injuries and other damages exceeds that of the at-fault parties insurance coverage, you may be able to pursue a claim against your insurance company under the terms of your policy.
Hit-and-Run Car Accidents Equating To Uninsured Motorist Claims
Many hit-and-run accidents involve motorists who are driving without any car insurance or who may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. While law enforcement officials may be able to use forensic evidence to identify these offenders, the reality is that many of these drivers do not have any assets from which to collect. Consequently, many hit and run cases involving car accidents, pedestrian knock downs or bicycle crashes evolve into an uninsured motorist claim. In order to effectuate coverage, injured victims may wish to contact an attorney handling car accident cases to ensure the terms of the policy are enforced.
Costs Of An Auto Accident: Significant Source Of Injury & Property Damage
The National Safety Council has compiled a list of what injuries can cost you over a lifetime. Since each injury is unique, it is difficult to know exactly what any given accident, auto or otherwise will cost. However, these are estimates based on wage loss, medical expenses, motor vehicle damages and other losses attributed to motor vehicle accidents for the year 2010:
- Motor vehicle death, $1,410,000
- Non-fatal injury, $70,200
- Property damage accidents with disabling injury, $8,900
Considering the low minimum of $20,000 for liability insurance under Illinois law, it is evident that even if a driver has insurance, it may fall much short of even the “average” injury accident. If there is a serious, life-changing disability or death, this will only scratch the surface of the financial loss.
Don’t Be Lulled Into Believing That Your Insurance Carrier Has Your Best Interests In Mind
From the moment that you are involved in an accident, your best interests are different from those of your insurance carrier. Insurance companies simply make more money by paying less on claims.
In addition to paying less on claims, insurance carriers may also use the detailed terms of your policy to find a way to deny the claim altogether. For example, many uninsured motorist policies require the claimant to establish that there was ‘contact’ between the at-fault vehicle and their own. If you do not present evidence to support this, your claim may be rejected as non-compliance pursuant to the terms of the car insurance policy.
Chicago, Uninsured Motorist Attorneys Fully Prosecuting Reckless Driving Cases Involving Inadequately Insured Drivers
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC has Chicago car accident attorneys who regularly negotiate claims for people injured in uninsured (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) claims throughout Chicago Illinois, and the entire Midwest. Just as in many areas of personal injury law, it is important to have an advocate with experience on your side in order to maximize an auto insurance claim.
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC successfully handle uninsured and underinsured motorist claims on a similar fee arrangement that we handle all of our other personal injury matters, with a fee charged only if there is a financial recovery for you.
Before you speak to your insurance company about a potential underinsured or uninsured motorist claim, contact our Chicago uninsured motorist lawyers for a no charge consultation and an insurance claim evaluation.
