Despite rising health care costs, rising wages, and rising vehicle repair costs, Ohio has not kept up with the times. A driver can legally drive a vehicle with coverage for bodily injuries as low as $25,000 per individual and $50,000 per incident.1 Worse yet, the Ohio Department of Insurance estimates that 15% of Ohio drivers do not have automobile insurance at all.2 In fact, the Insurance Information Institute reports that Ohio ranks in the top 10 states for the highest percentage of uninsured motorists.3
The result: there is a serious risk that if you are in a car crash, the at-fault driver does not have any insurance, or that the insurance does not come close to compensating you for medical bills, car repairs or lost wages.
What Should I Do If I Encounter an Uninsured Driver?
Call your insurance agent or edit your coverage online to add Uninsured/Underinsured (UM/UIM) coverage to your automobile policy. You can typically add UM/UIM coverage up to the amount of your own bodily injury automobile insurance limits.
How Would That Help Me If I Am in a Car Crash?
UM/UIM insurance generally insures the person who purchases the insurance, and others in the car for damages caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver in excess of their limits of insurance up to the amount of insurance you purchase. However, automobile policy is different and you should always read your policy documents and discuss your coverage with your insurer to make sure you understand what the policy will or will not cover.
For example, in a recent case, one of our clients was driving to the store when she was hit by a driver who crossed the center line and hit her head on. Although she suffered a broken hip and leg with tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills and a lengthy recovery, the driver who ran the red light did not have automobile insurance.
Luckily, our client had opted to add $100,000 of UM/UIM insurance to her automobile insurance policy. Accordingly, after her attorneys at Plakas Mannos presented her case to her insurance company, we were able to obtain a settlement of the entire $100,000 from her own insurance company. If she did not have UM/UIM coverage, she likely would have received nothing to compensate her for the months of pain, suffering, and medical bills.
However, if she had purchased even more UM/UIM insurance, she would have likely been able to get even more compensation.
Will My Automobile Insurance Rates Increase if I File a UM/UIM Insurance Claim?
No. In Ohio, your insurer cannot increase your insurance premium if you file a claim under your UM/UIM coverage.4 This is fair because you did not cause the crash or engage in risky behavior. Instead, UM/UIM coverage protects you from the dangerous conduct of others.
How Much Does UM/UIM Insurance Cost and How Much Do I Need?
The cost of UM/UIM coverage is usually a very small portion of your overall policy premium. A 2021 study from the Insurance Research Council found that the average cost of adding UM/UIM coverage was just $78 per vehicle.5
What Should I Do If I Have Been in a Car Crash and Don’t Know How Much Insurance the Other Driver Has or Don’t Know Whether I Have UM/UIM Coverage?
Give us a call so we can help you. We understand the nuances of liability insurance, underinsured/uninsured motorists’ insurance, and medical payment coverage. Our team of car accident lawyers knows how to help take the stress away from you so you can focus on getting better.
In our nearly 60 years of existence, we have represented thousands of individuals across northeast Ohio who have suffered life-changing car accident injuries due to negligence.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of a car, trucking, or motorcycle accident in the Canton or Akron, Ohio area and suffered serious personal injuries and would like to speak to one of our personal injury attorneys today, contact us by giving our office a call at 330-455-6112.
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