It’s a law, but we all know that not everyone follows the law all the time. Drivers in Washington State must have insurance, but what if they don’t, and they hit you? Luckily, lawmakers thought of a way to help accident victims in situations like this, and it’s called underinsured or uninsured motorist protection. By law here in Washington, all insurance companies must offer this protection to their customers. So if the at fault driver doesn’t have enough money to pay a full, fair settlement, you can turn to this part of your policy to file your claim.
If you do use this protection, you can think of it like filing against your insurance company as if it were the at-fault driver’s insurance company. These claims can be a bit tricky, and there are rules and special circumstances that may apply. It’s best to talk to a lawyer before you file an uninsured or underinsured motorist claim to make sure you’re taking the right steps. But the good news is, there is money available to cover your injuries and losses from a personal injury claim even if the at fault driver doesn’t carry a high enough policy to take care of it all.
For more information about underinsured or uninsured motorist protection, watch this video.
Here is the text of the Washington law detailing how uninsured and underinsured motorist protection must be made available to consumers by insurance companies
Bill Coats is an attorney practicing personal injury law in Bellingham, Washington. Bill has twenty years’ experience helping accident victims receive financial compensation to get them back on their feet after accidents involving negligence. If you have a case, or any questions about the process, please contact him here.