What is the real value of uninsured motorist coverage or UIM in Los Angeles, LA and Orange County California? I recently had a friend call me to discuss a recent motor vehicle accident he had been involved in. While driving along the 405 freeway in the city of Costa Mesa, he was struck from behind out of nowhere. He pulled over to the side of the freeway, as did the driver that struck him from behind. However, and unbeknownst to him, another driver had struck the driver in back of him, which ultimately caused the collision. This was later verified by another independent witness that pulled over to confirm.
Lucky for my friend, he had Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UIM) under his automobile insurance policy which would cover this type of “hit and run” accident. Without this optional UIM coverage under his policy, it may be likely that he would not be able to recover for his injuries and damages for this accident which would include his medical bills, physical therapy bills, and compensation for his pain and suffering from the accident.
In California, there are state laws which set out the minimum requirement for insurance automobile insurance to be $15,000/$30,000. However, California does not require drivers to have UIM insurance coverage. Accordingly, many people do not have coverage for hit and run accidents as described above, or if you are hit by an uninsured driver, or driver without adequate coverage for your loss.
Accordingly, it is very important to have Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UIM) as well as Underinsured Motorist (UM) with your own insurance policy, because it can provide you protection and coverage for these types of losses. If you do not yet have UIM coverage, I strongly recommend for you to contact your insurance agent to discuss adding this type of additional protection to your policy today.
The value of uninsured motorist coverage or UIM cannot be overstated. You should maximize the coverage available to you on your own auto insurance policy. If you or anyone you know has been injured due to an automobile accident, please contact the Law Firm of Rivers Morrell or call 949-305-1400 to speak with us personal for a free consultation to discuss your claims and injuries. We can help to ensure you receive full and fair compensation for your valid personal injury insurance claim.
