Many people get into a car accident, learn that the other person does not have any insurance and thus assume that they cannot any money for the case. However, this may not be the case. In Florida, IF you purchase uninsured motorist coverage and have that insurance on your car at the time of such an accident, you may be able to get monies for your injuries. Generally, uninsured motorist coverage (which in Florida is ALSO the same as underinsured motorist coverage) will pay you for injuries when someone else is at fault and that person 1) does not have any insurance to cover the accident; 2) does not have bodily injury insurance; 3) does not have enough bodily injury coverage (this is underinsured motorist covererage and 4) where it is a hit and run scenario. Further, if you own a car, your own uninsured motorist coverage will cover you generally whether you are in your car or not. Oftentimes, if you live with a relative that has uninsured motorist coverage, it will generally apply to you. Lastly, even if you or a resident relative do not have any uninsured motorist coverage BUT you are in a car that has uninsured motorist coverage, it will generally apply to you. Thus, if you have been in an accident, it is important to talk to a personal injury lawyer to have them look at your scenario to see whether you have a uninsured motorist coverage case.
It is important to note that every case is unique and should be judged based on the specific facts of the case. Uninsured motorist claims vary from policy to policy, so it is important to have a lawyer read the policy language as well as the laws dealing with uninsured motorist law to determine whether there is applicable insurance coverage for a particular case. The advice in this blog is intended to be general in nature and should not to be construed as specific advice for a case, as a minor difference in the facts of the case could change the result. Also, this blog is, as the web site suggests, based on Florida law and the laws of any other states or even another country could vary from Florida.
