By David Peel
If someone rams you with his or her car it is considered an intentional act and there is usually no insurance coverage from the ramming party. Most car crashes are truly accidents, but there still are many cases in which there will be either no insurance or insufficient insurance to compensate you for your losses and damages. Tennessee law requires drivers to carry liability insurance in the minimum amount of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. It has been widely reported that a full 24 percent of Tennessee drivers are uninsured. Of that remaining 76 percent, the vast majority carries only the minimum and therefore cap your recovery at $25,000 per person. $25,000 sounds like a lot of money until the hospital and life flight bills come in, and often exceed $37,000. You actually can insure yourself for this kind of event. It’s called “Uninsured Motorists” and is also known as “Underinsured Motorists.” Do you know how much UM you have? You should. If you are injured by an uninsured, unknown or underinsured driver, which is not at all unlikely in our area, you will have insured your family how much you would like. Following the accident, you should always contact the authorities. Allow the ambulance to evaluate your injuries, as you will be in no position to. The police document parties, witnesses and damages. Take time to photograph the crash site and get party and witnesses contact information in case they leave. Always inform your own insurance company of the accident in a timely manner. This does not hurt you, despite what you might hear. But, if you need to make a claim under UM or UIM, you need to know your own insurance company acts like the other driver’s coverage. They will fight you in your claim for reasonable compensation for your injuries and damages. Peel seeks justice for those injured in car accidents, work place incidents, medical malpractice, and nursing homes. He often addresses churches, clubs and groups without charge. Peel may be reached through PeelLawFirm.com wherein other articles may be accessed.
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