God forbid you are involved in a bad wreck. Despite the fact the wreck wasn’t your fault, your bones are broken; you’re going to be laid up for months, missing work and missing paychecks.
But why worry? The accident wasn’t your fault. Some punk kid hit you so it is all on him and his insurance will take care of things, right? SORRY, but Missouri Law only requires the punk kid to carry $25,000.00 in liability insurance. That’s maybe enough to cover your ambulance ride to the emergency room, but not much else.
That’s where underinsured motorist coverage comes in. It is insurance coverage you purchase at a small monthly premium to cover your damages should the above scenario happen to you.
Sadly, we see the above scenario over and over again in recent years. Following the financial crisis of 2008, more and more drivers began carrying bare minimum auto insurance policies. The result is more auto injury victims who go greatly under compensated for the damages they suffered. You need underinsured motorist coverage to protect your family and yourself. Hopefully you never have to use it. But if you do, you will be so glad you have it. In many cases, additional underinsured motorist coverage is very affordable and can be obtained in a matter of minutes through your insurer.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage
Another type of coverage is uninsured motorist, which protects you if the other side does not have insurance. Roughly 13% of drivers nationwide or about one in eight drive uninsured, according to the Insurance Research Council. Uninsured motorist coverage also applies in a “hit and run” accident where the owner or operator of the vehicle who caused the accident is unknown. While underinsured motorist coverage is optional, uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory at a level of $25,000. This amount is still often not enough to fully cover injuries, which is why we believe it is a good idea to get additional coverage against both uninsured motorists and underinsured motorists.
Drivers without insurance, or “hit and run” drivers who leave the scene of the accident cause many vehicle accidents. According to the Insurance Research Council, 13% of drivers are without insurance even though the law requires them to carry liability insurance. Uninsured motorist coverage protects you against these situations. In Missouri, uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory at $25,000. You can request your insurance provider to increase this amount to give you greater protection against uninsured drivers and “hit and run” drivers.
KC Road Lawyers advise you to check your policy and contact your insurer to obtain as much uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist insurance coverage as possible to protect you and your family. The costs for obtaining this type of additional insurance are usually very affordable.
Medpay Coverage
Medpay coverage is used as a supplemental health insurance to help cover your hospital expenses and other medical expenses if you are in an automobile accident. Drivers are often not aware of medpay coverage until their attorney discusses the coverage with them after an accident.
Medpay coverage is usually used like a band-aid to reimburse initial out of pocket hospital bills and other medical bills. The coverage is usually limited to $5,000.00 with most vehicle policies. Your attorney will still need to work out the rest of the claim on medical bills and other damages with the insurance company or through the Courts to help you collect on your claim.
KC Road Lawyers can help if you need information regarding issues of uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist insurance coverage as well as medpay insurance. Contact experienced personal injury attorney Chris Benjamin at KC Road Lawyers LLC for a free consultation to determine if you have a claim.