New York Uninsured Driver Accident Lawyer
While New York has one of the best rates of insured drivers on the road of any state in the US, a surprising number of drivers are out on the streets with no insurance. Roughly one in 20 New York drivers has no insurance at all, while the vast majority of such small policies that the bodily injury portion of their coverage would only pay for a relatively short and uncomplicated hospital visit, and nothing more. However, you can pursue compensation from your own insurance company in an uninsured driver crash, and the New York uninsured driver accident lawyers at Cohan Law Firm are here to walk you through the process.
File a Claim With Your Own Insurance Company if You Were Hit by an Uninsured Driver
UM coverage stands for uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. This vital part of your auto insurance policy pays for damages that an at-fault driver cannot, either due to their lack of insurance or their minimal insurance policy. In New York, the minimum auto insurance policy has a bodily injury limit of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. This may sound like a lot, but a serious traffic collision can easily result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. For reference, two to three average nights spent in an Intensive Care Unit costs around $25,000. When pain and suffering, lost wages, emotional distress, and other damages are added onto a $25,000 medical bill, the total damages caused to the victim can double or triple in the blink of an eye.
How Does My UM Policy Work?
If you were hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver, you can seek compensation from that party in addition to your own UM coverage. To do this, you and your attorney file a personal injury claim, demanding a certain amount of compensation. Your insurance company will either accept or push back on the claim, at which point negotiations begin if it is the latter. While most claims are settled out of court, a lawsuit and a court trial are still a possibility if your insurance company does not cooperate and compensate you fairly.
What About the Uninsured Driver?
It may seem unfair that your insurance company has to pay simply because the other driver was illegally behind the wheel without insurance, but the fact is that it would most likely be a waste of your time seeking damages from someone who is uninsured. They are unlikely to have anything of value that you would be able to confiscate from them to pay for your medical bills and other expenses.
Call a New York Uninsured Accident Lawyer Today
There are few things worse than being seriously injured in a car wreck. One worse thing, however, is being hit by an uninsured driver and realizing that you have no options for compensation. But, the fact is that you likely do have compensation available to you and the New York uninsured driver lawyers at Cohan Law Firm can help you obtain it. Call us at 855-855-0321 today for a complimentary consultation.
