People get into car accidents every day. According to statistics, every 14 seconds an auto accident results in an injured victim. These collisions are so common that the state of Missouri requires all vehicle drivers and owners to maintain some kind of motor vehicle liability insurance coverage to pay for any damages and injuries sustained or inflicted upon another during a collision. According to state law, the minimum level of coverage required includes $25,000 per person to cover bodily injury up to $50,000 and $10,000 per accident for property damage.
Sometimes the driver who is at fault is an uninsured motorist (UM). If an uninsured or unknown motorist is at fault, your UM coverage, which is also required, can provide you compensation for your bodily injuries.
Similarly, if the driver who is at fault does not carry enough insurance to compensate you for your injuries, your own underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage can provide you additional compensation. For example, if a UIM is at fault in the accident and you have four people in your car who sustained serious injuries, the value of the combined injury claims might exceed the insurance coverage of the UIM. In that instance, a UIM claim can be made against your own insurance policy.
While Missouri requires UM coverage in all car insurance policies, consumers only have the option of purchasing UIM coverage. It is not mandatory. If you were given the option of buying the coverage but didn’t, the only way to cover your bills and lost wages is to sue the negligent driver for the amount of the claim over his insurance coverage. But UIM’s can be difficult to collect from so it is advisable to have your own UIM coverage.
Our Kansas City personal injury attorneys, Jim Adler and Bill Manson, each have more than 20 years of legal experience in the personal injury area. If you need to recover compensation for damages caused by a negligent driver, we can help. We are a go-to source in Missouri for personal injury claims, because we are available to our clients 24/7 to address their questions and concerns. Let us see what we can do for you.
Contact us at (816) 333-0400 or fill out our online form to schedule a free case consultation today.