Things to do if the other driver doesn’t have insurance

Call the police right away and start gathering evidence

These first steps never change: you always want to call 911 and ensure that the police arrives on scene. That’s especially true if there are injuries or casualties. Additionally, you want to gather as much info as you can, including photos, statements from eye witnesses, the badge number of officers on scene, etc. All that evidence can prove vital for any insurance claims.

File a claim with your own insurance

It’s ideal to talk with your Greenville car accident lawyer and see what’s the ideal next step. If the other driver doesn’t have insurance, you may need to file a claim with you own insurance. However, it depends on the type of coverage you have, because not every insurance type might cover your accident.

Some of the insurance types that will cover this situation include collision coverage, PIP or MedPay, but also the Uninsured Motorist Coverage. However, each one has their own use case. That’s why you want to see which of them applies to your situation, if any at all. Once you do that, it will be easier to solve any issues that could arise.

Suing the uninsured driver

Of course, you also have the option to sue the uninsured driver. If you don’t have coverage that will cover your losses, and the damages are high, a civil lawsuit is usually the right way to go. In this case, you want to consult your car accident lawyer, so you can see what’s the right course of action. Even if the driver doesn’t have money to cover your damages, the court can allow asset seizure or similar procedures to take place.

Notifying the DMV

In certain states, you will be required to report accidents that involve uninsured drivers, property damages over a certain amount and any type of injury. If you don’t report to the DMV and that’s mandatory in your state, it could affect your insurance claim and driving record.

In addition, you always want to stay in touch with your personal injury lawyer. He will let you know if you have to file a lawsuit, negotiate with the insurance company or identify any other liable parties. Most of the time, attorneys provide free consultations and they get paid on a contingency basis, which means they get paid only if they win the case.

It’s very important to act quickly

A lot of the time, the most important thing you want to do is to act quickly. That’s because most states have a statute of limitations. For example, insurance claims need to be filed anywhere from a few months to a year, at most. Any personal injury lawsuits shouldn’t be filed over 2-3 years, and a similar timeline appears in the case of property damage lawsuits. If you delay the filing for these lawsuits, you might not be able to recover any damages because the statute of limitations has passed.

Check your existing motorist coverage

It’s always important to check your existing motorist coverage and see what it covers, but also things that aren’t covered. In many cases, you might not be able to cover the other driver, if they don’t have insurance. That’s why you want to know exactly what’s included in your medical and collision coverage, but at the same time you want to understand any limits and deductibles related to your coverage.

Keep in mind that not all motorist coverage options are the same, these can vary from one insurance provider to the other. That’s why reviewing your own situation is crucial, and a lawyer might help you solve the problem as quickly as possible. Addressing that is not only going to save time and effort, it can also alleviate a lot of potential issues that might arise. We highly recommend talking with the attorney, as they might help you handle the insurance claim as well.

Conclusion

It’s a good idea to have such a checklist available, because it can help avoid a lot of potential issues. You always want need to focus on finding ways to cover your damages and ensure that any of the medical bills are paid accordingly. Sure, there will be situations when the other driver doesn’t have insurance, so it’s in your best interests to try and navigate that the best way you can. Thankfully, all the options shown above are valid and can be used in these situations. And, of course, you want to stay in touch with your lawyer, as they can provide the necessary assistance!