Uninsured motorist insurance, and why it is important for my Groton, Connecticut client.
If live in Connecticut, and you drive a car you are required by law to have liability insurance on the car. If you injure someone in a car accident your liability insurance will pay the claim up to the policy limits. As of this writing the smallest liability insurance permitted is $25,000.00. Many people comply with the law, and have insurance. In fact, many people purchase more than the minimum. Therefore, if you are ever injured in a car accident due to the carelessness of someone else, then you can bring a claim against that person for reasonable compensation, and their liability insurance will cover the claim.
In Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, New York, and Maryland you are required to have insurance on your vehicle, and can. But even with this rule, some people still don’t purchase insurance.
What if the person who injures you, failed to purchase insurance? Then what happens?
According to a report from The Insurance Research Council rates of uninsured motorists range from 4.5% in Maine to as high as 26.7% in Florida. This means in Florida roughly one in five drivers have no insurance to pay claims in the event they crash into you with their vehicle. Therefore, you should protect yourself by purchasing uninsured/underinsured coverage for yourself. This insurance will protect you. Typically, the uninsured motorist portion of your police costs less than 10% of the overall premium.
What are the main parts of an automobile liability insurance policy in Connecticut?
Automobile liability policies consist of a few parts.
- Liability coverage. This pays a claim against you if you are at fault.
- Underinsuring/uninsured motorist. This covers you if someone else is at fault, and they don’t have any or enough insurance to pay your claim.
- Property damage. This pays for property damage to your vehicle in some circumstances.
- Medical payments. This pays for medical bills in a car accident in some circumstances.
What is underinsured motorist coverage?
Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage is coverage that you purchase as part of your policy that covers you in the event that someone else injures you, and they don’t have enough insurance to cover the claim. For example, if you suffer a very serious injury, and the at-fault driver has no insurance, then you best bet to receive compensation is to bring an uninsured motorist claim against your insurer. You can always sue the at fault driver, but they don’t have insurance. Next, if the at-fault drive is so cheap or poor that they could not purchase insurance, they very likely have no assets anyway. Therefore, your only way to protect yourself from an uninsured driver it to have underinsured motorist protection for yourself.
Who is the primary beneficiary of underinsured motorist coverage?
You are the primary beneficiary of your uninsured motorist coverage.
You should get the most underinsured motorist coverage you can afford.
When you shop for your automobile insurance policy always express interest in getting the most underinsured motorist coverage you can afford. You will find that you can purchase underinsured motorist coverage up to double the amount of liability insurance you purchase.
A brief example:
My client in Groton, Connecticut is going to be just fine because she purchased sufficient underinsured motorist coverage.
My client was in a parking lot in Groton, Connecticut, and was struck by a young driver who had no insurance. My client’s injuries were reasonably serious, and she required medical care. The young driver is judgment proof because she have no assets, and no insurance. But because my client purchased a reasonable amout of underinsured motorist coverage, she can bring a claim against her carrier for fair, just, reasonable compensation.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THE BARTINIK LAW FIRM LLC.
At The Bartinik Law Firm LLC we pride ourselves on the personal service we give to our clients, and on the many 5 star reviews our clients have given to us. If you or a loved one was in a car accident, then please do not hesitate to contact us at 860-445-8521. We are based in Stonington, Connecticut, and handle cases all over Connecticut, and even out of state in Rhode Island and Florida.
Many of your clients are in the Groton, New London, Norwich area in towns like yours such as Stonington, such as Pawcatuck, Mystic, Ledyard, North Stonington, Preston, Montville, Waterford, East Lyme, Old Lyme, Salem, Colchester, Groton, New London, and Norwich.
If you or anyone you know were in a car accident, and need help then contact the lawyers at The Bartinik Law Firm LLC at 860-445-8521. We will be glad to help.