Martinson & Beason, P.C.
Accidents with uninsured or underinsured drivers can be complicated. Many people are unsure what to do when their own insurance falls short of covering the medical bills and property damage caused by a wreck.
That’s where the attorneys of Martinson & Beason, P.C. can help. We review what happened and give you options to recover and move forward with your life again.
If you were hit by an uninsured motorist in North Alabama and need to speak with an experienced attorney near you, contact our Huntsville law firm today.
Per the Alabama Department of Insurance (ALDOI), the mandatory minimum amounts for liability insurance for residents is 25/50/25, meaning:
Unfortunately, many car wrecks result in personal injuries, medical expenses, and lost wages that can easily exceed $25,000 or even $50,000. Even worse, there are many uninsured or underinsured motorists on the road, which pushes the costs up for everyone.
According to numbers compiled by FinanceBuzz, approximately 19.5% of Alabama drivers are uninsured. Nationwide, it’s estimated that 28 million Americans are driving without auto insurance.
Even with the penalties for being caught driving without insurance, plenty of Alabamans are willing to risk fines just to get on the road.
When you really consider these numbers, you can see that your chances of being hit by an uninsured driver is fairly high. As a result of the large number of uninsured or underinsured drivers in the state, Alabama law requires insurance providers to include uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage on any policy sold unless they obtain a written waiver from the policy holder rejecting uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage (UM or UIM).
In the state of Alabama, you have two years from the date of the auto accident to file a personal injury claim or a wrongful death claim. Once this two-year statute of limitations has passed, you will not be able to pursue legal action against the uninsured or underinsured motorist.
While you can sue an Alabama driver who is uninsured or underinsured, it may not be worth filing a car accident lawsuit.
In many cases, the reason a driver is uninsured is that they cannot afford auto insurance. The uninsured or underinsured driver may not have the financial means to pay legal damages.
The Huntsville uninsured motorist lawyers at Martinson & Beason, P.C. can help. We can consider multiple options for getting you compensation after getting hit by someone without 25/50/25 liability coverage in the state of Alabama.
If you have been injured by an uninsured or underinsured driver, you may be entitled to benefits you are not even aware of. Our lawyers have the knowledge to maximize payouts and reduce out-of-pocket costs so you can focus on life after the collision. For a free consultation with our uninsured motorist lawyers in Huntsville, contact our North Alabama law firm today.
Figuring out how to pay for your injuries can be stressful, leaving you unable to focus on healing. The top-rated uninsured motorist accident attorneys at our Huntsville, AL law firm can take that worry away from you.
Martinson & Beason, P.C. was founded almost a century ago. Our long presence in Madison County has helped us build a strong reputation in North Alabama, serving generations of families and receiving referrals from legal colleagues throughout the state.
If you look through our list of notable case results, you can see numerous settlements in the six-figure and seven-figure range. We know how to negotiate with insurance companies and how to use existing state laws to the advantage of people who’ve been seriously affected by a car wreck.
In addition to our successful verdicts and settlements, we encourage you to browse our law firm’s reviews on Google. Our Huntsville law office has more than 450 positive reviews from past clients. Their stories demonstrate our commitment to the people of North Alabama.
We know you may be struggling financially after a collision caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver. That’s why we offer free consultations to provide an evaluation of your automobile accident and injuries. If we work on your case, you do not have to pay any attorney fees or expenses unless we win.
It can take months or even years to resolve a car accident claim. Questions and concerns may come up throughout this process that require a lawyer’s attention and knowledge. You can get in touch with our law firm 24/7. If someone is not available to take your call at the moment, we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
If you were hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver in Alabama, you need attorneys on your side who care and understand how the system works. You can find the answers and guidance you’re looking for at Martinson & Beason, P.C. For a free consultation to discuss your uninsured/underinsured motorist accident, contact our Huntsville personal injury lawyers.
We’ve discussed uninsured motorists in the state, but we should also highlight the hazards posed by underinsured drivers who cause car wrecks in Alabama.
An underinsured motorist has auto insurance, but they lack the 25/50/25 liability coverage mandated by the ALDOI. If an underinsured driver causes a catastrophic injury accident, their liability insurance will likely fall short in covering the true cost of your injuries and property damage
Like uninsured motorists, it may not be worth your time to sue an underinsured driver for damages. It’s likely that the underinsured motorist could not afford Alabama’s minimum insurance requirements.
If the underinsured driver lacks the financial resources to pay for 25/50/25 liability coverage, they probably do not have enough to pay for the substantial losses you experienced in the crash. Our car wreck lawyers in Huntsville, AL can help with underinsured accident cases as well as collisions with uninsured drivers.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that the loss of productivity and loss of life from auto collisions in 2019 cost American society approximately $340 billion. Given the sheer number of uninsured and underinsured drivers nationwide, that’s a major burden imposed on others.
A high-speed collision could lead to catastrophic injuries that have lifelong repercussions. Potential serious injuries include:
In addition to expensive life-saving emergency treatment, you may require physical rehabilitation, assistive devices, and long-term medical care to address the effects of your injuries.
A catastrophic injury could limit your ability to earn a living. Survivors of serious crashes often experience the following issues:
The lasting impact of these changes could lead to the loss of income over time. After a serious accident, your earning potential could be just a fraction of what it used to be.
Serious accidents can wreck your vehicle or at least keep your car, truck, or SUV in the shop for a little while. The same must be considered if an uninsured or underinsured driver plowed into your home. When considering the expenses in an auto collision, be sure to take these into account:
If a collision with an uninsured motorist causes the death of a family member, the grief experienced can be immense. In addition to funerary expenses, the absence of that person in a household could mean lost income, lack of support around the home, and a loss of companionship.
The cost of these losses can be difficult to calculate, but our fatal accident attorneys will make sure they are considered while working out a good settlement offer.
The short-term and long-term effects of a UM/UIM car wreck could cost you thousands and thousands of dollars. You need a proven attorney on your side who can negotiate with your insurance company and maximize the value of your claim. If you were hit by a driver who was underinsured or uninsured, contact our Huntsville, AL auto accident attorneys. Martinson & Beason, P.C. is here to help.
Given the costs associated with a serious car accident, many people consider getting uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in addition to 25/50/25 coverage. UM/UIM coverage can provide benefits to an injured person when the at-fault driver either has no liability insurance or has an insufficient amount to cover the total damages incurred.
As an example, let’s say that you have a valid claim against a negligent driver who caused a car accident. That driver has no insurance or has an insufficient amount of insurance to cover your medical expenses and other damages.
Under these circumstances, your own UM/UIM coverage must cover those damages.
Since UM coverage is fairly inexpensive, it’s worth including it in your policy. In many cases, the amount of UM/UIM coverage you have will be equal to the liability coverage, but you can always purchase more. You certainly should purchase more if you can afford it.
The amount of uninsured motorist coverage you need is dependent on just how much risk you are willing to take. While many drivers are properly insured, there are still plenty of uninsured or underinsured Alabama motorists in the Huntsville area who could cause a serious accident.
An experienced Huntsville UM/UIM car accident attorney can often find additional sources of coverage that are not readily apparent.
As an example, if you have more than one vehicle with uninsured motorist coverage, the state of Alabama allows a process known as “stacking.” Stacking involves multiplying uninsured motorist coverage by up to three times based on the number of vehicles on a single insurance policy.
Let’s say that Mike is seriously injured in a car accident with an uninsured motorist just outside of Huntsville, AL. Mike owns three cars, each with uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of $25,000.
With stacking, Mike can combine the UM/UIM coverage on each of his insured vehicles. Rather than just having $25,000 in UM/UIM coverage, he would have $75,000.
If you are an injured passenger in an auto accident, the basic rules of UM still apply, with the primary difference being additional coverage through your own auto policy as opposed to just the policy which insures the vehicle you were riding in.
As a passenger insured under a multi-vehicle policy, you can stack up to two additional coverages, although if you are insured under a single-vehicle policy, you are limited to one coverage.
There is one additional time UM in Alabama can be an issue, since this coverage follows the person rather than the vehicle. In many cases you can trigger UM coverage through someone who lives with you. This is known as “resident relative,” meaning if someone who lives with you is your relative, you may be able to make a claim on their UM coverage, even if you are not listed on their policy.
If you’ve been involved in a car accident with an uninsured or underinsured motorist, you’re not alone. Don’t accept the initial settlement offer. Contact our Huntsville UM/UIM crash attorneys for a free consultation.
