What Happens If The Driver Who Caused Your Accident Does Not Have Insurance?

Car accident lawsuits are relatively rare, especially those that do not reach a settlement, thereby requiring a judge to decide how much money the injured driver or passenger should get, but car accidents that cause major financial losses are much more frequent.  Car accident lawyers can use their expertise to help you get reimbursed for your financial losses, and lawsuits are only a last resort.  Most of the time, lawyers help you get the money you need by negotiating with the insurance company of the driver who caused your accident until the company agrees to pay enough to cover your medical bills, vehicle repairs, and other accident-related expenses such as renting a car while yours was being repaired.  What happens if the driver who caused the accident in which you got injured was uninsured?  Even then, a South Carolina car accident lawyer can help you get the money you need.

Uninsured Motorist Insurance Coverage in South Carolina

All states require drivers to carry liability insurance, which pays for damage to other people’s cars in accidents that you cause; it also pays the accident-related medical bills of drivers and passengers injured due to your negligence.  South Carolina also requires drivers to carry uninsured motorist insurance.  At first glance, it might seem annoying that you have to pay for more insurance than drivers in some other states are required to buy, but if you get injured in a car accident caused by a driver who does not have insurance, you will be glad that you have uninsured motorist insurance.

South Carolina law requires you to carry uninsured motorist insurance that covers at least $25,000 per person or $50,000 per accident.  If your medical bills and property damage related to the accident exceed $25,000, then, assuming that you are the only member of your family involved in the accident, you can also apply the uninsured motorist policies of other members of your household to your accident.  For example, if you, your mother, your father, and your sister all live together (assuming that you and your sister are in your early to mid-20s), you can get your family’s insurance to pay for up to $100,000 in accident-related losses.

Insurance companies do not go out of their way to be generous, so it may take a lawyer’s help to get the uninsured motorist insurance to reimburse you in full.  If your injuries are so severe that they permanently reduce your earning capacity, then you definitely need a lawyer to help you get a settlement that will enable you to adjust to the new normal.

Let Us Help You Today

Even though, in theory, everyone has car insurance, dealing with car insurance companies and getting the money you need is more complicated than it seems.  A Columbia car accident lawyer can help you navigate the world of uninsured motorist insurance.  Contact The Stanley Law Group for help with your case.

Source:

doi.sc.gov/588/Automobile-Insurance