As a personal injury attorney, one of the things I frequently remind people is that the amount of automobile insurance coverage they carry can be just as important as how safely they drive.
A recent case I handled illustrates exactly why.
The Case
I represented a woman who was injured in a motor vehicle accident caused by an uninsured driver. Although the other driver was responsible for the accident, there was no liability insurance available from that driver to compensate my client for her injuries.
Fortunately, my client had purchased substantial uninsured motorist coverage under her own automobile insurance policy.
After litigation, we were able to obtain a settlement of $250,000, representing the full available policy limits of her uninsured motorist coverage.
Had my client purchased only the minimum uninsured motorist coverage required by Connecticut law, which is currently $25,000, the amount available to compensate her would have been limited to that amount, regardless of the extent of her injuries.
This is something many people don't fully appreciate when purchasing automobile insurance.
What Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Means
Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage protects you when you are injured by a driver who has no applicable liability insurance. Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage provides protection when the at-fault driver has insurance, but the available liability coverage is insufficient to fully compensate you for your injuries, subject to the terms and limits of your policy.
In Connecticut, drivers are generally required to carry only $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage. Those amounts can be exhausted very quickly when someone suffers a serious injury. Unfortunately, some drivers operate their vehicles without insurance at all.
Higher Limits Can Make the Difference
What many people don't realize is that you can purchase higher uninsured and underinsured motorist limits to protect yourself and your family, rather than having to rely solely on the insurance carried by another driver.
Connecticut also offers underinsured motorist conversion coverage, which can provide additional protection because, unlike standard underinsured motorist coverage, the conversion coverage generally is not reduced by payments received from the at-fault driver's liability insurance.
I regularly encourage people to review their automobile insurance policies and consider purchasing as much uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage as they can reasonably afford. The additional premium for higher limits may be relatively modest compared to the financial protection those limits can provide.
In my client's case, having $250,000 in available coverage made an enormous difference. Without that coverage, even a successful lawsuit against the uninsured driver might not have resulted in meaningful compensation if that driver lacked sufficient personal assets to satisfy a judgment.
This case is a good reminder that automobile insurance is not just about protecting yourself if you cause an accident. It's also about protecting yourself when someone else causes an accident and doesn't have enough insurance to pay for the harm they've caused.
I'm pleased that we were able to recover the full $250,000 policy limits for our client. More importantly, I hope her experience encourages others to take a few minutes to review their own insurance coverage before they find themselves in a similar situation.
If you were hurt by an uninsured driver, call Sette & Parnoff, PC at (475) 255-3911.
Every personal injury case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
