Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims
Tampa Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims Attorney
If you have been in an auto crash, you may have a stressful time ahead. You will need to handle the damage to your vehicle, and may also have to deal with injuries, medical bills, and to deal with the insurance company. Under the best circumstances, the at-fault responsible driver will have adequate insurance. However, often in Florida, the at-fault driver has no insurance or has insufficient insurance to cover your medical bills. In this case, you may have to file a UM claim with your own insurance company.
If you have been in an accident and need help dealing with an uninsured or underinsured claim, contact the Capaz Law Firm. We will fight to get you the full compensation you deserve from your insurance company.
Understanding Florida Auto Insurance Policies
Florida law requires that all drivers maintain at least $10,000 worth of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. PIP insurance provides coverage for those who are injured in an auto accident, no matter who caused the accident. However, PIP insurance only covers 80% of medical bills. To recover the additional 20%, you can pursue a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. But, if the at-fault driver has no insurance (which is a violation of the law) or has inadequate insurance to compensate you, you could be left to pay the remaining bills yourself.
This is when Uninsured Motorist coverage (UM) and Underinsured Motorist coverage (also referred to as UIM) can help. UM policies are optional insurance policies that cover your medical bills for injuries caused by: drivers who do not have state-required PIP insurance; drivers who do not carry adequate bodily injury (BI) insurance coverage to compensate you; or hit-and-run drivers who cannot be identified and held responsible for the accident. In addition, UM and underinsured policies provide coverage for future medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost wages.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims
If you purchased UM or underinsured coverage under your auto insurance policy, your insurance company is obligated to compensate you for medical bills not covered by other insurance. In addition, they are required to compensate you for pain and suffering, and lost wages. However, as is common with most types of insurance claims, your insurance company will often try to delay, deny or minimize the amount paid to you. Since UM/UMI coverage is optional and you chose to pay for the additional coverage, you have every right to demand full compensation from your own insurance company for your car or automobile accident injuries. Even if you do not personally have UM/UMI coverage, you may still quality for coverage under someone else’s policy if you were a passenger in the accident and the host vehicle or host driver has a UM/UMI Policy..
Contact a Tampa Uninsured/Underinsured Attorney
If you’ve suffered injuries from an auto accident and are seeking a UM or underinsured motorist coverage against your insurance company, contact a Tampa UM/UMI claims attorney at the Capaz Law Firm. We will help you deal with your insurance company to get the full compensation promised under your insurance policy. Call (813) 440-2700 for your free consultation.