Underinsured motorist coverage is designed to help you pay any expenses that someone else’s insurance policy does not pay for. Every driver is required to carry insurance, but if someone carries the minimum coverage and causes an accident that injures you, you might end up realizing that their policy does not pay out enough. Your underinsured coverage can help you here, and an experienced New York car accident lawyer can help you secure the compensation you deserve.
Is Underinsured Motorist Coverage a Necessity in New York?
You are not actually required to carry underinsured motorist coverage and it is an extra cost on more car insurance plans. It’s up to you to evaluate whether or not the coverage is worthwhile. In many cases, it is worth the increase in premiums.
Underinsured motorist coverage is especially useful if your car would cost a lot of money to repair or replace. If the person who hits you only carries the minimum coverage for property damage and totals your vehicle, that underinsured coverage could give you the money needed to replace your car.
This coverage is also good to have if you frequently have passengers in your car. This is because uninsured motorist coverage is not just for the driver. It can also help cover the medical expenses of other occupants of your vehicle if they get hurt in an accident.
Is Underinsured Motorist Coverage the Same as Uninsured Motorist Coverage?
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage do work in similar ways, but they are not exactly the same. As its name implies, uninsured coverage is meant for those situations where the at-fault driver has no insurance coverage at all. If someone does not have a policy, it can be difficult to sue them for damages. Someone driving around without car insurance is unlikely to have much money to give you.
Underinsured coverage only kicks in after an at-fault driver’s policy has been exhausted. So if a driver’s limit for bodily injury was $25,000 and you end up with $30,000 in medical bills, your underinsured motorist coverage would help you with that additional $5,000.
Do I Still Need a Lawyer?
It can be a good idea to have a lawyer when you are in an accident where your underinsured driver coverage would kick in. This is because you can only get money from this part of your policy if the other driver’s policy has given you as much as it can. A lawyer can negotiate with an insurer who won’t give you a fair offer and show them the evidence needed to make them pay out up to their policy’s limit.
Schedule Your Consultation
If you have been hurt in a car accident and you are struggling to deal with another driver’s insurance company, contact Zlotolow & Associates. We can schedule a free consultation and tell you all about how our lawyers can be of assistance in cases like yours. You do not have to fight for fair compensation on your own.
