What Is UM & UIM Insurance & Why Are these
Policies Important to Your Tampa Auto Accident Lawyer?
Even though Florida law says that every
driver should carry at least some auto insurance, in reality,
there are thousands of drivers on Tampa Bay area roads
who are not insured at all. In addition, thousands more
only carry the bare minimum insurance. What this means
to you is, if you are injured in a car accident, you may
have to use your own insurance to pay your medical bills,
lost wages, lost ability to work, and other damages. But
what type of insurance should you carry to give yourself
the protection you need?
Due to the many uninsured and underinsured
drivers out there, virtually every Tampa auto accident
lawyer will recommend that you carry a significant amount
of uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM)
protection insurance. By purchasing these policies—which
often only cost a few dollars a month—you and your
Tampa accident
attorney will have a policy to pursue compensation
for your injuries if a driver with no insurance (or little
insurance) hits you.
To maintain a valid car tag and registration
in Florida, drivers must carry a minimum of $10,000 personal
injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 property damage liability
(PDL) insurance. Personal injury protection, or PIP, insurance
covers 80 percent of your medical expenses and 60 percent
of your lost wages, up to the $10,000 limit, no matter
who is at fault in the accident. Therefore, if you are
injured in an accident, your own PIP insurance would be
the first policy to pay toward your medical bills.
One possible drawback to these insurance
requirements is that $10,000 does not go very far. Sometimes
your emergency room bills alone will total more than $10,000.
So once your PIP insurance is gone, what is the next step
for you and your Tampa auto accident lawyer? If the accident
was the other driver’s fault, then the at-fault
driver’s insurance likely would be the next policy
in line to compensate you for your injuries. However,
if the at-fault driver is not insured or only carries
his/her own PIP insurance as mandated by Florida law,
you are out of luck unless you carry UM and UIM insurance.
With UM and UIM insurance, claims that
exceed your own PIP and the at-fault driver’s insurance
will be covered up to the limits of your UM/UIM policy.
Often, UM/UIM policies are one of the only coverages available
for Tampa personal injury attorneys
when they make a claim for their clients.
To speak with a Tampa auto accident
lawyer about the insurance policies that may be available
in your case—including UM/UIM coverage—please
contact the law firm of Clark & Martino today for
a free initial consultation.
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