Underinsured Accident Victims

California Insurance Coverage Attorneys

In the state of California, drivers are required to a carry a minimum of $15,000 per person, $30,000 per accident, and $5,000 per property damage coverage. Most serious head, neck, and back injuries that occur in car accidents quickly exceed the minimum amount of personal injury and liability coverage. If your injuries exceed the amount of insurance coverage of the at-fault driver that hit you, you should be able to recover additional compensation under the uninsured / underinsured terms of your policy.

By law, insurance companies are required to provide underinsured / uninsured coverage unless a driver rejects the coverage in writing. Uninsured / underinsured coverage comes into play only when your policy coverage limits exceed the policy coverage limits of the person that hit you. However, not all insurance agents are completely forthcoming in regard to what is covered under the terms of uninsured / underinsured coverage.

If you've been seriously injured in a car accident and the cost of your injuries exceed the amount of the policy limits of the person that hit you, contact Peach & Weathers to schedule a free consultation to learn how we can help you.

What Losses does Uninsured / Underinsured Coverage Cover?

Your uninsured / underinsured coverage should compensate you for medical expenses, property damage, and lost wages. Since California is a comparative negligence state, the amount you are eligible to recover will be reduced by the percentage of fault you bear in an accident.

If, for instance, you are eligible to recover $10,000 under the terms of your policy but are deemed 50% at fault, you can only recover $5,000. That's why it's important to work with an experienced attorney who can investigate the cause of your accident and challenge the claims of an insurer who alleges you bare a certain amount of fault in causing an accident.

Filing a Claim under Your Uninsured / Underinsured Coverage

If you've been injured by an uninsured / underinsured motorist, you'll need to file an uninsured / underinsured motorist claim (UMI) with your insurer. Since California is a comparative negligence state, your insurer will want to collect as much information about the accident in order to determine if they can decrease or deny your claim. For this reason, it's important to work with an attorney who will handle inquiries from claims adjusters and ensure your claim is not inadvertently compromised.

Establishing Fault - Car, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Accidents

Uninsured / underinsured coverage applies to pedestrians, bicyclists, and hit and run victims. However, to ensure you recover an appropriate amount of damages, it's important to establish fault. Our attorneys work closely with accident reconstruction experts who measure skid marks, use GPS positioning technology and eyewitness testimony to recreate what happened. By analyzing the placement of debris, damage to a vehicle, and calculating how fast a car was traveling, we can determine what happened and who was at fault.

Contact Our Uninsured / Underinsured Coverage Attorneys

Recovering damages under the terms of your uninsured / underinsured coverage can be difficult if your claim has been compromised by inaccurate statements. We have to the resources and knowledge needed obtain compensation for claims based on uninsured / underinsured coverage.

To schedule a free consultation and discuss your case, contact personal injury lawyers at Peach & Weathers today.