Houston Car Accident Lawyer
Uninsured Motorist Insurance Coverage (UM)
There are over 4.1 million uninsured drivers on the road in the State of Texas according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. If you get into a car accident with one of those uninsured drivers and you do not have uninsured motorist coverage, the odds of you getting the money to cover your medical expenses and damages out of those uninsured drivers is very low. Texas homestead laws prevent you from taking away a persons home, car, tools of trade, and up to $60,000 in personal property that they choose, to pay a judgment they owe to you as a result of their causing injury to you in a car accident. Most people do not have enough assets to get over this protected level. Thus, if an uninsured driver hits you, you are often stuck looking to your own insurance.
Uninsured motorist insurance coverage is insurance coverage that you purchase to protect yourself and your family against drivers who have no insurance. If you do not have a significant amount of it, you are exposed to unnecessary risk. Uninsured motorist insurance coverage kicks in to cover losses from a car accident that you can prove are caused by another’s negligence when the negligent tortfeasor has no insurance at all. In order to recover under your uninsured motorist insurance policy, you must prove that an uninsured motorist caused you damages by his/her negligence and that he/she had no liability insurance to cover it. Furthermore you must prove the amount of those damages. As a result, it is very important that you retain an experienced uninsured motorist claim lawyer to represent you in these claims. At Simmons and Fletcher, our Houston car accident lawyers are experienced in these kind of claims and we are here to help you.
Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UIM)
Current Texas law requires that drivers carry a minimum of only $30,000.00 per person and $60,000 per incident in liability insurance coverage. With today’s rising costs of medical care, $30,000.00 is often not enough to cover an injured victim’s damages who has been seriously injured in a car accident.
Underinsured motorist insurance coverage is similar but slightly different than uninsured motorist insurance coverage. The two are sold as one policy in Texas, but they do differ. Like uninsured motorist coverage, underinsured motorist coverage is insurance that you purchase to cover you and the occupants of your vehicle. However, it kicks in to provide additional or supplemental insurance when a negligent driver hits you and has insurance but not enough to cover your damages. Again, to be entitled to recover, you must prove the amount of the damages done to you as a jury would award. At Simmons and Fletcher, our auto accident lawyers regularly handle these types of claims. We have several Houston car accident attorneys on staff to assist you. The initial consultation is always free and there is no charge to you if there is no recovery.
The “Requirement” Of Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Insurance Coverage
Texas law requires that insurance companies offer uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to all drivers. This is achieved by requiring that uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance coverage be provided unless the policy holder specifically signs a waiver of this coverage. Many fly-by-night insurance companies will try to get you to sign that waive without fully explaining what it is. This is they way you protect yourself and your family so you should never waive this coverage.
At Simmons and Fletcher, we handle numerous underinsured and uninsured motorist insurance policy claims from the beginning all the way through trial. In this era when the insurance companies have such strong influence to draft laws and obtain court rulings that allow them to reduce your life to a ‘business decision,’ you need an experienced uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance claim lawyer on your side. Call us for a free consultation with one of our Houston car accident lawyer’s today. Our attorneys are here to fight for you. There is no charge for the initial consultation. We work on contingency fee arrangements where there is no fee or expense to you unless we make a recovery.
