Being in a car accident on a busy Fresno highway like Highway 99 or Highway 180 can leave you in shock and in some cases, seriously hurt. As you get medical attention, you may not immediately be able to consider who might pay for the damage to your vehicle and your trip to an emergency room.
If you find out later that the at-fault driver was traveling without car insurance, you will understandably have real anxiety about who will be paying for these bills.
Fortunately, there are ways for accident victims to receive the support they need, even when the driver who caused the accident is uninsured. A Fresno car accident lawyer can help you secure compensation from your own insurance company and find other at-fault parties in your accident who might owe you support.
Contact a Fresno Uninsured Motorist Car Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
After a Fresno car crash involving an uninsured driver, don’t panic. Speak with a Fresno Car Accident Lawyer about your options. You could call upon your own car insurance company to help pay your medical bills, fix your vehicle, and replace paychecks you lose while having to miss work. There may also be other people and companies that could be at fault for what happened. A skilled Fresno attorney works to hold all liable parties responsible.
Schedule a free case consultation that comes with no obligation. It’s a no-risk opportunity to learn about what your injuries are worth and how to secure full support.
If you feel Maison Law can help you earn more, you don’t need any upfront money to hire us. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement you are awarded.
Your Options After Getting Hit by an Uninsured Motorist in Fresno
Being placed in harm’s way by a reckless driver on a Fresno street like Blackstone Avenue is scary enough. But when it’s an uninsured driver at the wheel of the other vehicle, you can feel physically and financially vulnerable.
If you are struck by a driver who doesn’t have auto insurance, your first instinct might be to file a lawsuit and take the driver to court. A lawsuit isn’t usually the best way to get help after an accident.
A driver who can’t pay for car insurance often doesn’t have a lot of savings and assets, to begin with. Even if you are awarded a judgment by a judge or jury, it’s not likely you’ll be able to collect that money from an uninsured at-fault driver.
Victims in these accidents often end up relying on their own insurance coverage:
- Uninsured Motorist Coverage — One way you can seek compensation is through a claim against your own car insurance policy. This claim would call upon your Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage. Most car insurance policies offered in California include this coverage unless you reject it in writing. It’s important to note that many UM policies only help with medical bills and don’t cover the damage to your car. Be warned that working with your own insurance company might seem easier, but your provider can still try to short you on compensation and leave you with less than you need to pay all of your bills.
- Med-Pay Coverage – Med-Pay isn’t required by California Law, but some drivers purchase it with their policies as an add-on. It provides support for your medical bills after a crash, no matter who was at fault. It might even pay for funeral costs in case you or a loved one were killed in an accident.
- Collision Insurance – This is another optional coverage for California drivers. If you have it, it helps you pay to get the damage to your car fixed after an accident, no matter who is at fault.
- Health Insurance – Your health insurance would usually be the first place you go to get help with paying hospital bills. Your insurer would usually pay everything and then go to the at-fault driver’s car insurance company to try to get the money reimbursed. If the other driver is uninsured, you could get hit with the deductibles and co-pays for your care soon afterward.
When you must involve your own auto insurance provider there is one bit of good news. In California, car insurance companies aren’t permitted to raise your rates over an accident that you didn’t cause.
Trusting a Fresno Attorney to Get You More After an Accident
A skilled Fresno Car Accident Lawyer would be making sure the car insurance companies involved were treating you fairly and providing the maximum in compensation for you.
It’s an attorney’s duty to also explore other options when an uninsured driver is involved. In a multi-car accident, there may be multiple drivers found at fault for an accident. One driver may not have insurance coverage, but another at-fault party may carry full coverage. Your lawyer seeks additional support from the car insurance company that is available.
A faulty road design or construction lane may have increased the harm you suffered in an accident caused by a careless driver. This could make a local city department or Caltrans partially responsible for what happened. Your lawyer would be filing an injury claim against the liable government officials.
What’s the Punishment for Fresno’s Uninsured Drivers?
Uninsured drivers face fines and other penalties for their offenses. The first time they are caught driving without a driver’s license they will face a fine between $100 and $200. But by the time other assessments and court fees are added in, the bill is closer to $500. A second offense can reach totals of $1000 to $2,000 dollars.
Violators could have their licenses suspended. They can watch as their car is taken away to an impound lot. These punishments don’t do much to convince uninsured motorists to sign up for a car insurance policy. It’s why so many motorists are put in jeopardy by uninsured drivers each day in California.
Unfortunately, you may not receive any support from the driver who caused your frightening crash. But an experienced Fresno Uninsured Motorist Car Accident Lawyer can help you find ways to earn the help you need to recover physically and financially.
Earning Compensation After a Fresno Car Accident Involving an Uninsured Driver
While monitoring your insurance representative’s actions, your lawyer will be making sure any settlement offer they extend has your best interest in mind. A car accident settlement must cover your current medical bills and also address the potential for care needed in the years ahead.
Victims can need additional surgeries for a broken bone that doesn’t heal correctly. They can need physical therapy to learn to reuse an injured arm, hand, or leg. Victims could also require home care as they heal and use expensive medical equipment.
Your Fresno attorney will also double and triple-check that every hardship you’ve faced is documented in your injury claim. Any damage the insurance adjuster isn’t made aware of won’t help you earn additional insurance compensation.
These are just a few of the factors that assist you in securing the most in an accident settlement check:
- Medical expenses now and those expected in the future.
- Costs associated with a permanent physical disability. Traumatic injuries often earn a lifetime of financial assistance when victims can’t go back to work or return to their normal lifestyles.
- Support for the physical pain you endure and bouts of chronic pain.
- Support for emotional trauma suffered. Flashbacks to the day of the crash could leave you with anxiety and PTSD symptoms about getting on the road again. A loss of enjoyment of life over an injury may cause long-term depression and require emotional therapy.
- Travel costs for making doctor’s appointments while you are unable to drive and while you are in a wheelchair or on crutches.
- Car repair or replacement.
- Income and benefits you’ve lost from missed time at work.
- Wrongful death benefits. When a family loses a loved one in an accident, close relatives can file a wrongful death lawsuit. This lawsuit asks for help with funeral costs and leftover medical bills. This civil claim also seeks to protect the family in the future when they’ll be without the financial support the victim would have provided.
Contact a Fresno Car Accident Lawyer After an Accident Involving an Uninsured Driver
After an accident involving an uninsured driver, make sure you act quickly. California extends the deadline to file an injury claim to two years. However, waiting months to file can mean that valuable evidence disappears, and witnesses become hard to find.
Speak with a Fresno Car Accident Lawyer to find out what your injury is worth and how to hold an insurance company and others fully accountable.
Take advantage of a free case consultation from Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law. This evaluation comes with no obligation to you or your family. If you do feel we can help you earn more, you won’t need any money now. We don’t get paid unless your case is won, and then our fee comes out of the settlement money you receive.
