Every year, there are over 100,000 car accidents in Maryland. Approximately 40% of which causes some sort of personal injury. What’s even scarier is that about 13% of motorists are uninsured. With these sort of numbers, it’s vital to protect yourself and your family.
Individuals who have been hit by an uninsured driver have the right to file a claim to get compensation. When the other person in the accident is either uninsured or underinsured, your rights can become even more difficult to understand. There are some things that you will need to understand about uninsured/underinsured motorist claims before you know how to go forward after an accident in Maryland.
According to the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), underinsured motorist insurance reduces the financial burden on people who are hit by a driver who either has no insurance or not enough to cover the damages. There are two types of coverage including that for bodily injury and for property damage. Of those two types, bodily injury coverage is the type most often used and is required by some states. By definition, injury to a person’s body is considered a personal injury.
The state of Maryland requires every car insurance policy to include coverage for uninsured motorists. This requirement allows for coverage when the at-fault driver is not insured. The only exception to this rule is when you sign a waiver that shows you turned down the coverage for uninsured motorists. Every driver should have the option to have uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance.
With all that said, it’s important to make sure you have enough coverage to ensure that you and your loved ones are protected. Our advice to you is that more coverage you have, the safer you will be. You should always ask yourself “Is my under/uninsured motorist coverage is enough to cover my expenses?” Remember that this coverage applies to you and/or your family members after a potentially serious accident.
We recommend obtaining at least $250,000 in under/uninsured motorist coverage. In Maryland, this means that you must increase your bodily injury liability limit to equal to or higher than $250,000 as well. If you have the financial means to do so, we recommend to have at least $500,000 of liability and under/uninsured motorist coverage.
Why the higher numbers? Because you never know how bad a car wreck will be. You could wind up in a fender bender or a head-on crash that results in a life-altering injuries like a broken neck, torn ligaments, a traumatic brain injury, and so on. Having these coverage limits provides a stronger cushion in the event that you’re the victim of a hit and run or are hit by an underinsured driver.
It’s important to remember that you cannot increase your coverage immediately after you are in a terrible car accident as that increased coverage will not apply to the injuries sustained before you changed your coverage.
Due to the complexity of the laws involving insurance companies, any person who needs to make uninsured/underinsured motorist claims should seek a personal injury attorney to represent them. Legal representation is always the best way to protect your rights. If you’re ever a victim, please contact us. We’re here to help.
