FAQ: Naples Car Accident with an Uninsured Driver

Getting into a car accident can be as frightening as it is traumatic. This holds true regardless as to whether you were a pedestrian, riding a motorcycle or driving in a car. And while the law allows for victims of car and motorcycle accidents to sue damages from the at-fault party, if the at-fault party doesn’t have auto insurance, you may be wondering what your options are.

This is especially true if you have mounting medical bills, hospital expenses or need to be off from work for an extended period of time.

First things first

When you get into a car accident, the first thing you’ll want to do is to call the police. Filing a police report will help with getting your expenses covered. If you find that the other driver doesn’t have car insurance, try not to panic.

In this case, you’ll want to check with your insurance carrier to determine if you have uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Although Florida law requires that all registered vehicles carry car insurance, it doesn’t require that drivers carry uninsured / underinsured coverage.

This type of insurance can be purchased as an add-on to your existing policy, and compared to liability, comprehensive and collision coverage, it’s often quite affordable. If the driver that hit you doesn’t have car insurance (or doesn’t carry enough car insurance), that’s when this type of policy would kick in. Uninsured / underinsured coverage will cover damages that aren’t covered by the other driver’s policy, up to the policy limits you select.

The most important thing to know about this type of policy is that you’ll likely have a limited amount of time to file a claim. In most cases, you’ll need to file within 30 days of when the accident took place.

What to do if you don’t have secondary coverage

If you don’t carry uninsured / uninsured coverage, you’ll want to contact a Naples personal injury attorney right away. Never, ever accept money from the other driver. Since you likely have no idea what your injury costs will be, how much you’ll need to pay to cover medical expenses, and whether you’ll need to be compensated for the time you need to take off from work, it’s best to hold off and talk to a lawyer first.

Naples car accident attorney you can trust

For more information about how to handle a personal injury lawsuit with an uninsured or underinsured driver, call The Law Offices of Marc L. Shapiro, P.A. today.