Imagine you were in an accident through no fault of your own. Another car ran a red light and crashed into yours, and now your car is damaged and you may even be in an ambulance on the way to the hospital with severe injuries. What a horrible situation! But it could easily get worse… What if the at-fault driver doesn’t have enough insurance?

The At-Fault Driver May Not Have Enough Insurance

Actually, that unfortunate scenario is extremely likely. The minimum amounts of insurance that Florida requires are quite low, and far more people than in other states don’t even have that amount of insurance.

And in addition, Florida is a no-fault insurance state. That means that the first place where everyone is supposed to go to get reimbursed for losses in the event of a car crash is their own insurance.

Every driver must have Personal Injury Protection (PIP), but that’s just $10,000. It will pay for the driver’s injuries, but how far does $10,000 really go? Not very far! And that’s not all. It is also supposed to cover wages that are lost due to the injuries. It would be a joke if it weren’t so horrifying and sad.

In addition, Florida also requires $10,000 in property damage liability coverage.

Either way, the first place you should go to after an accident is your own insurance, in order to get help from PIP to pay for your injuries. You should also talk to an experienced automobile accident attorney to get help with recovering more compensation.

And yes, there are other potential avenues to recover losses, but you definitely need an attorney to help you with that. However, it is likely that the at-fault driver has very little insurance or no insurance at all. And once he has been proven to be guilty and liable for your expenses, it may turn out that he has no assets to speak of, so your compensation may be uncollectible.

We’ll go into more details on what can be done in various situations, but there is something you and every other driver in Florida (and elsewhere) should do well BEFORE an accident happens. And that is to make sure to get uninsured or under-insured motorist coverage (UIC).

Uninsured Motorist and Under-Insured Motorist Coverage (UIC)

When you sign up for car insurance, your insurance representative should ask you if you would like uninsured and under-insured motorist coverage. Most of them do, but sometimes, they may forget. If they don’t bring it up, you should ask them about it and insist on signing up for it.

Yes, car insurance in Florida is very expensive, but the yearly premium for uninsured and under-insured motorist coverage is so low (around $40) that you should add it no matter what. And get that coverage for the highest amount you can. A million is not too much.

Why do you need it? If you ever get into an accident and are seriously injured, chances are extremely high that the other party may not have enough coverage to pay for your bills. Even worse, they won’t have the coverage to reimburse you for lost wages, as well as for pain and suffering.

So if you want to get compensated for your losses, UIC will provide it. Sure, there may be a rare situation where the other party has deep pockets, but don’t count on it. Most people don’t, and they won’t have the insurance coverage that would be seriously helpful either.

What If You Don’t Have UIC?

Ideally, you have uninsured or under-insured motorist coverage in place of you find yourself in an accident caused by another party. But what can you do if you don’t? Of course, the first step is to hire an experienced automobile accident attorney. And that attorney may be able to help you in that situation.

You need to make certain that you have in fact been offered that insurance and have actively declined it. Insurance companies are responsible for offering that important coverage and would be negligent if they failed to offer it to you. Check with your lawyer to see if there is anything you can do.

Even if you have UIC, you need a lawyer to get full compensation for your losses. Insurances are not in the business to pay out money, so you usually have to fight for it. And alone, you won’t have much of a chance.

What Else Can Be Done?

Your lawyer can pursue several other avenues to help you possibly recoup your losses. These include the vehicle owner if he is different from the driver, or multiple parties if the at-fault driver was operating a commercial vehicle, a government vehicle or a company car. And, of course, they can sue the at-fault driver directly.

Does the At-Fault Party Have Money Or Assets>

Your chances of getting compensated increase a great deal if the at-fault driver has money. Unfortunately, people who have the bare minimum in insurance coverage usually have minimal assets if any, and any debts and judgments against them are uncollectible.

However, people who have valuable assets don’t want to lose them, so they may well have significant insurance coverage that can reimburse you for your losses. An experienced automobile accident attorney will know how to find out if this is the case by doing an assets check.

What You Should Do

As mentioned above, you need an experienced automobile accident attorney at your side if you want to have the best chance to get compensated for your injuries and losses. Call us or email us for a free consultation. We will be happy to talk to you and help you determine how best to approach getting fairly compensated for any damages you have suffered.