A Personal Injury Attorney In Philadelphia Explains The Importance Of Underinsured Motorist Coverage

By Author: Sue McCrossin
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Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage protects you and your family in the event that you are in an accident with someone who does not have insurance, and Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UIM) protects you and your family in the event that the other driver does not have enough bodily injury coverage in Pennsylvania. One Personal injury lawyer Philadelphia suggests that it is a coverage that no driver in PA should be without.

These two types of insurance coverage are purchased in addition to the mandatory insurance coverage that the state of Pennsylvania requires, but this is a crucial concept to understand. The insurance industry is not obligate to offer this coverage, and you have to ask for it since it is optional. It helps pay for your own and your family’s damages and injuries when the person who hit you does not have enough insurance coverage to do so, or does not have any insurance. So let’s say you are injured in a car accident and the other driver has $15,000 worth of coverage, which is the minimum mandated amount under Pennsylvania law. Let’s say further that your case goes to a jury ...
... trial and the jury decides that you should be compensated for $100,000 for your injuries. If the other person was only covered for $15,000, then you and your family members will not be compensated. That is the reason that you have to purchase sufficient amounts of UIM coverage, especially in these trying economic times when it is more likely that the person who hit you was not sufficiently covered to compensate your injuries. An example of how UM comes into play would be where the other motorist did not have any insurance, and there is a $100,000 verdict. In this case, and as long as you had $100,000 in UM coverage your own insurance carrier would pay for this.

How much UIM and UM coverage should someone buy? The answer is that you should buy as much of this coverage as you can afford. Pennsylvania laws allow the person covered by these policies to recoup damages if they have been involved in an accident and the driver responsible doesn't have enough insurance coverage, or any insurance. It is very important for you to discuss the type of coverage available to you through your insurance carrier.

Pennsylvania law states that insurance companies must provide you with something in writing (called a waiver) when you fill out the insurance application. The waiver informs you about the availability of UM and UIM, and offers them to you when you apply for your insurance. UM and UIM are important for people that drive for a living using their employer’s vehicle because those entities are not obligated to purchase this coverage on their vehicles. This applies to jobs such as police in patrol cars, delivery drivers, postal employees, truckers, and others.

There are some exclusions or specific things that are not covered by UIM and UM.For instance UIM may not cover the following types of vehicles:

Government
Uninsured vehicles you or your family members own
Vehicles your or a family member owns that are not listed in your insurance policy.

For more information about UIM and UM coverage, you are encouraged to consult with a Personal injury lawyer Philadelphia, or your insurance agent.

Sue McCrossin is a freelance writer working with personal injury attorney Philadelphia, Stuart Carpey, to inform motorists in Pennsylvania about the importance of purchasing as much underinsured motorist insurance with an insurance policy as possible. For more information on injury lawyers PA visit our website.