NYC UNINSURED MOTORISTS ATTORNEY
INTRODUCTION TO UNINSURED MOTORISTS PROTECTION
In New York State if you are involved in a automobile accident you are entitled to personal injury protection (PIP) regardless of who may be at fault due to the state’s No-Fault law. In instances when another individual’s negligence was the cause of the accident you can make a bodily injury claim through the at-fault vehicle’s insurance to be compensated for your liability claim. There are times, however, when one may be struck by an individual with insufficient coverage. Read on to see the options available to you if ever faced with this scenario.
UNINSURED COVERAGE (UM)
All drivers in New York State are required to purchase liability insurance that meet the following standards:
- Bodily Injury minimum: Minimum $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident
- Property Damage minimum: Minimum $10,000 (does not apply to your own vehicle)
- Uninsured/Underinsured Bodily Injury minimum: Minimum $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident (cannot exceed your BI liability limits)
- Basic Personal Injury Protection minimum: Minimum $50,000
Despite these requirements there are about 5.3% of drivers in New York who operate their vehicles without insurance. Though this places NY as 3rd lowest state (behind Massachusetts and Maine) with uninsured motorists, this still means that there are thousands of drivers out there with inadequate coverage.
The UM coverage helps you if you do not have access to an adverse vehicle’s liability insurance due to an accident caused by:
- Unidentified hit and run driver
- Uninsured out-of-state motor vehicle
- Uninsured NY motor vehicle
- Stolen motor vehicle
- Motor vehicle operated without the consent of the owner
- Unregistered motor vehicle
The Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation (MVAIC) while also providing protection in accidents involving uninsured motorists, only steps in as the last resort.
UNDERINSURED COVERAGE (UIM)
Unlike uninsured motorist BI coverage, underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) is not required by New York State. It provides coverage if the at-fault driver in an accident has insufficient liability coverage to fully compensate you.
In both UM and UIM cases a claim has to be filed against your own insurance to process bodily injury claims. UIM claims come into effect after the at-fault driver’s liability has been exhausted. If you find yourself seriously injured by an underinsured motorist, you may have a UIM claim if the injuries you sustain surpass the limits of the negligent driver’s policy.
SEEK A NYC UNINSURED MOTORISTS ATTORNEY WITH EXPERIENCE
Although most insurance companies will acknowledge and honor the UM/UIM provisions of your policy, there are some who may try to reject your UM/UIM claim or offer you very little compensation. It is thus very important to reach out to a personal injury attorney as soon as possible. At Wittenstein & Wittenstein we can help investigate your claim and ensure that you receive fair recovery. We have over 60 years of experience with settling cases involving uninsured and underinsured motorists in New York. Call NYC Uninsured Motorist Attorney today to schedule a free consultation.
NYC UNINSURED MOTORISTS ATTORNEY
Why Are There So Many Truck Accidents?
Once upon a time, a career as a truck driver paved the way to a solid middle class lifestyle, but changes in the law now leave many hard working drivers impoverished. In addition to the reduced lifestyle expectations, increasing pressure on drivers to work when they’re overtired has caused trucks to be a menace on the road, leading to increasing numbers of tragic deaths for both drivers, other motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Handling truck accidents lawsuits is [...]
How To Avoid Catastrophic Injuries
There simply isn’t any type of transportation that’s completely without risks and even staying home presents hazards. Life would be unbearably boring if we didn’t dare to do much of anything for fear of being injured, so it’s important to get out and take some chances. Catastrophic injuries are life changing events that can severely limit a person’s enjoyment of life, but thankfully they’re extremely rare and there are many ways to avoid them. If you or a [...]
How Insurance Companies Low Ball Claims
If you’ve ever filed a claim against an insurance company, you know that they’re not in a hurry to give you top dollar. They are trained to use every means possible to deny or reduce how much money they pay out in claims. That’s why unrepresented claimants collect pennies on the dollars when compared to plaintiffs represented by experienced negligence lawyers in Queens. Wittenstein & Wittenstein is the Queen, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Bronx car accident attorneys [...]
How To Get Your Business Off To A Great Start
If you’re planning to start a business, hiring an experienced Queens business attorney is the best way to ensure its long term success. The adrenaline is pumping for startups at their outset, but companies that are not properly poised for growth don’t tend to stay in business very long. That’s why it’s so important to form the right business entity, carefully outline what’s expected from all the people involved and take steps to make the business attractive [...]
Should I Divorce My Attorney?
If you’re feeling ignored, unappreciated and misunderstood by your attorney, it might be time to consider a divorce. Unlike a real divorce, dumping your attorney is relatively easy because New York law gives clients the unfettered right to fire their attorney at any time and for any reason. You don’t even have to tell your attorney that you want a divorce, you can simply find a new attorney, sign papers and they’ll be notified. You wouldn’t keep going [...]
The Most Common Types of Personal Injury Cases
There are many different types of personal injury cases including car accidents, slip and falls, product liability, sexual harassment and medical malpractice claims. Each type of case has its own case law, strategies and customs that can help maximize the amount of money that an injured victim collects, but some types of cases are more common than others. In New York City, the most common types of personal injury cases are car accidents and medical malpractice. This is [...]