Maison Law of Salinas represents victims who are injured in traffic accidents by uninsured drivers. Our car accident lawyers help victims file uninsured motorist claims to get help paying medical bills and replace lost paychecks while they are out of work.
Contact Maison Law to talk with a real lawyer about your options in a free, no-obligation consultation. You’ll learn what your injury is worth and how to secure the compensation you need to recover. This is possible even when a careless motorist doesn’t have insurance.
Salinas Uninsured Motorist Dangers
For a small city, Salinas can see big-time traffic build all day and through the afternoon rush hours. You may be stuck in construction traffic along Highway 101 or left in bumper-to-bumper school traffic along Alisal Street when another driver smashes into you. You may be a pedestrian or on a bike when you are struck by a careless and uninsured driver.
Unfortunately, with the uninsured motorist problem in California, victims can’t assume the at-fault driver will carry adequate or any car insurance coverage. Injured victims may be left with extreme hospital bills and lost time at work and have no chance of earning support from the guilty driver.
The driver who travels around without having insurance is breaking the law and could face punishment, but that doesn’t help you while you’re in recovery. You might feel the urge to file a lawsuit against the reckless driver and try to get support out of the driver’s personal assets, but that option may not work out so well either. When motorists can’t afford to pay car insurance premiums, it usually means they also don’t have a lot of assets to pay to someone even if a judge awards you what’s fair.
You may have spent money to hire a lawyer and to pay court fees to ultimately get very little. Fortunately, there are other options for Salinas car accident victims who are struck by uninsured motorists.
Where Can I Turn for Help After a Crash Involving an Uninsured Motorist?
After a careless motorist sends you into a collision, there’s a chance you may be left to pay any car repair bills yourself. Unfortunately, if you are seriously hurt, you may also be stuck with massive medical costs, with seemingly no way to earn support from the at-fault party who doesn’t have auto insurance.
Fortunately, there are types of insurance coverage on your own policy that can help you in the event you or a family member become the victims of an uninsured driver. One protection is commonly included when you sign up for a California car insurance policy.
These are a few of your options:
- Uninsured Motorist Coverage – You can often file a claim on your car insurance policy. This claim would call upon your Uninsured Motorist/Underinsured (UM/UIM) coverage. You aren’t required to have UM coverage in California, but most car insurance policies 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.
- 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 family’s medical bills after a crash, no matter who was at fault. Some policies also cover funeral costs in case you or a loved one were tragically 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.
Talking to a Lawyer After a Collision with an Uninsured Motorist
Be warned that going through your own insurance company for support might lull you into a false sense of security. You may assume you’ll be treated more than fairly, but your provider can still try to limit your compensation.
You might get far less than you require to pay your bills and fully recover financially from missing paychecks at work. A Salinas car accident lawyer would help you negotiate with your insurance provider to make sure you received everything you needed.
Your lawyer would work to get the maximum in benefits available for what happened to you. That would include money to pay your current medical bills and any expected in the future. You should also receive help with the physical and emotional trauma you must cope with during a difficult injury recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Do I Have to File an Injury Claim After an Accident With An Uninsured Motorist?
Two Years. You’ll have two years to file an injury claim, but you should take action as soon as you can. Evidence can disappear and witnesses can be hard to find if you wait years to file.
Will My Car Insurance Payments Go Up If I File an Uninsured Motorist Claim?
No. When you must ask your auto insurance provider for support due to an uninsured motorist’s mistake, there is some good news. In California, car insurance companies can’t raise your rates over an accident you didn’t cause.
What happens to uninsured drivers after they cause an accident in California?
Drivers will pay a fine between $100 and $200, with fines going up for each violation. Additional penalties can multiply those charges. Drivers could also have their cars impounded.
Contact a Salinas Car Accident Lawyer After an Accident Involving an Uninsured Driver
Speak with a Salinas Car Accident Lawyer to find out what your injury is worth and how to hold an insurance company and others fully accountable.
Schedule a free case consultation with 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 to hire quality legal representation. We don’t get paid unless your case is won, and then our fee comes out of the settlement money you receive.
