Although the Insurance Information Institute shows 15.2% of all drivers in California being uninsured, the number is probably significantly higher than that. There are those people who drive without a license or insurance and those who are in California invisibly. Then, there are the drivers who had their coverage lapse and didn’t even realize it. Take a look around you next time you’re on the freeway. It’s likely that at least one out of every five drivers around you don’t have insurance. The only silver lining in that cloud is that California requires every car insurer to offer uninsured motorist insurance, but it’s up to the insured person to purchase it.
Confirming Coverage
If the person who caused your accident was civilized and didn’t drive off, you’ll likely get insurance information at the accident scene. If he or she didn’t stop, hopefully, you got a license plate number. You can give that to the police when you report your accident, and they can obtain all relevant information for you. Don’t get talked out of calling the police and reporting the accident under any circumstances. Without a written police report, the chances of you recovering any compensation at all are slim. Another way of obtaining insurance information is to go to your local DMV with that plate number. If you are given the name of an insurer, you’ll want to confirm with that insurer that coverage was effective on the date of your accident.
What if I Was the Victim of a Hit-and-Run?
In a California a hit-and-run accident, if the driver or owner of the vehicle that caused the accident can’t be found, and you have uninsured motorist insurance, you can still make a claim for the injuries that you suffered through your own insurance company. Any obligation to you will be limited to the amount of the uninsured motorist coverage that you have.
Whether your case is against another driver and his or her insurance company or your own insurer, either of those insurance companies will do whatever they can to try and devalue or deny your claim. Don’t give a written or recorded statement of any kind without talking to us first. Contact our offices as soon as possible after your accident, and you can arrange for a free confidential consultation and case review with an experienced and respected car accident lawyer from our offices. If we’re retained to represent you, our objective will be to maximize any settlement or award that we might obtain on your behalf.
