Tom McCutcheon – Attorney at Law
Why does our insurance company have to get involved when it was their fault?
This is a question that I answer every week. People don’t understand uninsured motorist coverage. If you are swimming in Shoals Creek and a car comes off the bridge and hits you and breaks your arm, and they don’t have any insurance, your uninsured motorist coverage will pay your for medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering. If you had moved in with your grandmother the month before and she had a car with uninsured motorist coverage and you had a car with uninsured motorist coverage on it and you were hurt bad enough, her uninsured motorist coverage could also pay for your medical bills, lost wages and other special damages.
A lot of times people are hurt more than what the amount of insurance the person who caused the accident has. Let’s say you lose a foot and the person only has $25,000.00 in coverage. With no liability issues, the loss of a foot is worth easily $500,000.00 and most people wouldn’t take that if they could enter into the deal voluntarily. Under this set of facts, if you and your wife have two cars and you have a child that has a car and each car has $100,000.00 in uninsured motorist coverage, you could collect $325,000.00 in insurance money.
People who have no insurance or have the minimum limits of insurance typically can’t provide any additional payment for injury.
That’s why your insurance, specifically your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage has to get involved. It is very good coverage to have and not very expensive. Don’t reject your uninsured motorist coverage.
If the accident was the fault of another and you ask for your uninsured motorist coverage, your insurance company can’t drop you for an accident that wasn’t your fault. You paid for that coverage and they expect to and do profit from selling uninsured motorist coverage.
Buckle up and drive safely.
McCutcheon & Hamner, P.C.
2210 Helton Drive
Florence, Alabama 35630
Telephone: 256-764-0112
Facsimile: 256-349-2529
