Personal Injury Articles

Why do you need Uninsured Motorist (UM) and Medical Payment (Med-Pay) insurance?

You need insurance in order to ensure that there is money available in case you get injured in an auto wreck. You cannot pick the person who rear ends you. Assume that those who choose to drive without insurance tend not to be the most astute and cautious drivers on the road. The odds are skewed in favor of getting creamed by an uninsured motorist rather than a motorist with high insurance limits.

Uninsured Motorist (UM) insurance is there to pay for your bodily injury when you are in an auto-wreck that was not mostly your fault. It kicks in when it has been determined that the crash is not mostly your fault, and that there is either no insurance or insufficient insurance to cover your injuries. Who makes that determination? Initially, it will be your insurance company’s decision whether to pay you or not. However, the decision ultimately rests with the courts, and a lawyer can assist you with this process.

Medical Payment (Med-Pay) insurance is there to pay for your medical bills when you are in an auto-wreck regardless of whose fault it was. Attorneys do not take a portion of your Med-Pay as long as they do not have to enter into litigation in order to recover the money. However, if a court finds the insurance company liable for failing to timely pay, it would be held to pay attorney fees and possibly punitive damages for bad faith.

Approximately 2.5 million people were injured in auto crashes in 2006 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Your odds of being injured in an auto wreck in the course of just one year are approximately one hundred to one. Every time you get into an automobile, the chances are higher than you might think that you will be injured in a wreck. You can take steps to reduce your risk. That is, you can make a concentrated effort to drive slower and more cautiously. However, you cannot eliminate the risk of being slammed into by some jerk with no auto insurance. The risk is real, and you should have UM and Med-Pay insurance to protect you from the financial consequences.

If you have any questions about auto-insurance coverage, feel free to call or email us.