So, you’ve been injured in a car accident. As you try to navigate your medical care and acclimate to life with your newfound injuries, you might be worried about your financial stability. This is understandable given your inability to work and the overwhelming medical expenses that might hit you. Although you may take comfort in your ability to turn to your own insurance company and the other driver’s insurance company for support, you might find yourself at a loss when you discover that the driver who hit you is either uninsured or underinsured.
In these instances, you need to know your options. Otherwise, you could be left without the financial resources that you need. And you shouldn’t just throw up your hands and assume that you can’t recover the compensation that you need and deserve. With that in mind, let’s look at what you can do in this situation.
Dealing with an uninsured or underinsured motorist
Figuring out how to recover compensation from one of these drivers can be tricky. But there are avenues to recovery available to you. This includes each of the following:
- Use your uninsured motorist coverage: If you’re lucky, then you have uninsured motorist coverage. This policy will help you offset your medical expenses incurred because of your accident injuries. It can also assist you paying for any damage that was caused to your vehicle. In essence, this type of coverage does what the other driver’s insurance would’ve done if they had it.
- Maximize the other driver’s policy: If the other driver has any insurance at all, then you’ll want to make sure that you’re milking what you can out of it. To do so, you’ll have to have a full understanding of the coverage that’s in place and how it applies to your set of circumstances. Don’t let that insurance company downplay what it can do to help you out.
- Take legal action against the other driver: If the insurance coverage in play is insufficient to cover your damages, then you can still take legal action against the driver who caused your accident. Of course, if they didn’t have the money to buy an insurance policy, then they’re going to struggle to pay any judgment levied against them, but even in those instances you might be able to garnish their wages to ensure that you’re recovering something.
What should you do in the immediate aftermath of your wreck?
If you’re involved in one of these accidents, then you should do the following:
- Call the police
- Exchange information from the other driver
- Refrain from making any statements that could be construed as accepting fault
- Take pictures of the accident scene if you’re able to do so
- Gather witnesses’ contact information
- Seek medical care
In the days following your accident, you’ll also want to reach out to your insurance provider to determine what your policy will cover. Also, make sure that you follow your doctor’s recommendations and keep track of all of your accident-related expenses.
Know how to appropriately approach your case
If you want to be able to recover the compensation that you need, then you have to know how to aggressively handle your accident. While that might mean dealing with multiple insurance companies, it might also entail taking legal action.
But the exact course of action that’s best for you depends on the circumstances surrounding your accident. That’s why you might find it beneficial to discuss your situation with an attorney who can help provide you with advice and guidance that is geared toward achieving the outcome that you want.