When you’re in a crash, it can be hard to see any sort of silver lining. However, one thing that may provide a little bit of comfort is knowing that because the other driver was at-fault for the crash, their liability insurance coverage may pay for your damages.
But this isn’t always the case for all victims. In fact, while maintaining car insurance is required in our state, there are those who choose to operate their vehicles without the mandatory insurance coverage. If you have been involved in an accident with a driver who doesn’t have insurance, our Pueblo underinsured/uninsured accident lawyers at the law office of McCormick & Murphy, P.C. can help. Reach us today for your free consultation.
Costs Accrued in a Pueblo Car Accident
When a person is involved in a car accident, they often suffer tens of thousands of dollars in damages. Types of costs that are typically accrued in a serious car accident include:
- Medical expenses. Medical expenses are usually a given in a car accident, especially a serious one. Depending on the extent of injuries, medical expenses may be in the form of ambulance costs, emergency room costs, hospital stays, doctors’ visits, surgeries, medications, medical equipment costs, therapy, rehabilitation, and more. These costs can continue to accrue for weeks, months, or even years into the future.
- Lost wages. When a person is seriously injured, they are also usually unable to work for a period of time and, sometimes, indefinitely. This means lost wages and a loss of earning capacity, as well as the loss of benefits that the individual would have earned and been entitled to had they continued working.
- Property damage costs. If you are seriously injured in a crash, then chances are high that your vehicle is completely totaled. Depending on the make and model of your vehicle, this could mean tens of thousands of dollars in property damage costs.
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress. While intangible and much harder to calculate as such, people who are involved in serious crashes also experience physical pain and suffering, and well as emotional distress and mental anguish. Our lawyers believe that you should be compensated for the degree of noneconomic harm that you have suffered in addition to your economic harm.
In addition to the above, there are a variety of miscellaneous costs associated with being involved in a car accident, such as the time and money spent traveling to the insurer’s office or the doctor, the costs of a rental vehicle while yours is being repaired, expenses for home services/chores that you can no longer perform on your own due to your injuries, and more
Who Will Pay for These Costs?
When an accident occurs in Pueblo, the at-fault driver is responsible for paying for damages. But what happens if the at-fault driver doesn’t have insurance?
In some cases, a victim of a car crash caused by an uninsured driver may be able to file a lawsuit for damages directly against the at-fault party. However, while this may be a legal option and right, note that if a driver doesn’t maintain insurance, it is unlikely that they have the financial means to pay for your damages out of pocket. As such, this is rarely the best choice.
Rather than filing a lawsuit against the at-fault party, our lawyers encourage our clients to consider other sources of compensation available to them. This might include:
- Health insurance. The first type of coverage that you should consider if the at-fault driver isn’t insured and cannot pay for your damages is your own health insurance coverage. While you will still likely have to pay a deductible and may not have all types of health services necessary covered, your health insurance should pay for a large portion of your medical costs. Our Pueblo uninsured/underinsured car accident lawyers can assist you in pursuing coverage through your health insurance provider.
- Liability insurance of a third party. Another option to consider is the liability insurance coverage of a third party whose actions may have caused or contributed to your accident. For example, would your crash not have occurred but for a defective tire on the other driver’s vehicle? Or but for a pothole or another dangerous road condition? If this is the case, then you can bring forth a claim against this party for damages. Our Pueblo underinsured/uninsured car crash attorneys are skilled investigators who will work with experts, including accident reconstruction professionals, to determine whether or not the negligence of another party caused or contributed to your damages.
- Personal insurance coverage. Finally, your third option for recovering compensation after a crash with an uninsured/underinsured driver, and often the most viable one, is to file a claim against your own motor vehicle insurance policy if you maintain certain coverage types. Types of insurance that can be used to pay for your damages that you may carry include:
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which insurance providers are required to offer, and which can only be rejected in writing.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage can potentially help pay bills. Which is one reason why we advise that it never be waived
- Medical payments coverage/medical benefits coverage, which pay for medical and funeral expenses suffered by you or any of your passengers. This coverage can be waived but we recommend that you do not waive it.
- Collision coverage, which pays for damages to your vehicle resulting from a crash.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which insurance providers are required to offer, and which can only be rejected in writing.
Consult with our Pueblo personal injury and accident lawyers for help navigating your policy and determining whether or not your own coverage will pay for your losses.
Call our Pueblo Underinsured/Uninsured Accident Lawyers Today
We know how upsetting being in a crash can be, and how that feeling can be exacerbated by learning that the driver who hit you doesn’t have insurance. We want to reassure you that even if the other driver doesn’t have insurance, you still have options. When you call our Pueblo underinsured/uninsured accident attorneys, we will work hard to explore those options and improve your chances of recovering your maximum settlement amount. Please reach our law firm today by calling (719) 225-1737 today or online to schedule a free consultation and learn more about how we can help you.