It’s the worst day ever. You were in a car accident and badly injured. But the accident wasn’t your fault (thankfully). Your injury has caused you to go to the emergency room and now you have to get surgery. The person who hit you has the state minimum insurance in Missouri, which is $25,000. That won’t even begin to cover your hospital bill, let alone your surgery costs and time missed from work. What do you do? The answer is simple: hire a Missouri car accident lawyer.
How can a car accident lawyer help you?
Underinsured Motorist coverage (UIM) is an optional coverage in Missouri that can be added on to your policy. It protects you in the event that you’re in a bad car accident and there is not enough liability insurance coverage to compensate you for your injuries and lost wages. Car accident lawyers will usually ask if you have this coverage when you consult with them following a car accident injury.
In the situation above, a person seriously injured in a car accident should collect the available liability coverage of $25,000. Then their car accident lawyer would assist them in collecting the available coverage if it is included in their policy. For example, if you had Underinsured Motorist coverage in the amount of $100,000/$300,000, you may be able to collect an additional $100,000 on top of the $25,000, assuming your damages are worth that amount, bringing the total amount collected $125,000. If there were passengers in your car that were also injured, they could potentially have Underinsured Motorist claims, as well, depending on your coverage.
Can a car accident lawyer help me if I only have $25,000 in Underinsured Motorist coverage?
Underinsured Motorist coverage can be stacked in some cases depending on the language in your policy. This means if you have more than one vehicle on your policy and they all have Underinsured Motorist coverage, you may be able to add all the UIM coverages together for your claim. So, if you have $25,000 Underinsured Motorist coverage on the vehicle you were driving when the car accident happened, and have two more vehicles on your policy that each have $25,000 in UIM, you might be able to collect an additional $75,000 in insurance proceeds depending on your coverage.
Your insurance company might will not tell you that you have this additional coverage available to you. That’s why it is always a good idea to consult with an experienced Missouri car accident lawyer after you have been injured in an accident. The car accident lawyer will read your plan language and make sure that you are able to collect all money that is owed to you.
If none of this makes sense to you, don’t worry, you aren’t the only one. That is why our car accident lawyers have been representing the injured for 27 years. Take a look at the video below for more information on Underinsured Motorist Coverage. Call our firm today at 314-862-7222 if you need assistance or fill out the contact form by clicking here.