Road accidents are a common occurrence in most areas of the country. Car accident attorneys defending victims of uninsured motorists or underinusred motorists in Buffalo, New York is ever increasing. The number of vehicles on the roads that are uninsured or under insured is scary to think about. If you were the victim of an uninsured motorist accident, contact and experienced uninsured motorist personal injury attorney at the Buffalo Car Accident Lawyers located in Buffalo New York for a free case evaluation today!
When an accident happens, it is the insurance companies that provide compensation to victims who have suffered bodily injury and/or property damage. Insurance is mandatory for all drivers in New York. However, similar to people who fail to obey the rules of the road, there are drivers who fail to follow this legal requirement as well. If you were in an accident with an uninsured driver, you need to contact an uninsured motorist car accident lawyer as soon as possible.
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Why Do Drivers Drive Without Insurance?
All drivers in Buffalo, New York are required to carry motorist insurance. The required minimum coverage is $25,000 coverage for bodily injury per person and $50,000 per accident. In addition, drivers are also required to carry property damage coverage of $25,000 per person.
Drivers have the option of carrying additional coverage, but that is not required by the law. This additional coverage can include comprehensive coverage for collisions as well as uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. The problem is that most drivers who want to be able to drive legally choose to get the minimum required coverage.
That is why when accidents occur and when one of the drivers involved in the accident is uninsured, the victims have to go through significant challenges to get compensation because of a lack of uninsured motorist coverage.
People often wonder why a driver would deliberately be on the road without proper insurance. The monetary fine for driving without insurance is quite steep, and if there is an accident and if there are injuries and damage, the driver without insurance can get in a lot of trouble. Even then, there are thousands of drivers in New York that dare to be on the road without insurance.
The problem is that in case these uninsured drivers get into an accident, not only do they get in legal trouble but the accident victims also have to face serious consequences with regard to compensation. In very rare cases do the victims have uninsured motorist coverage in their personal policies and since the driver who caused the accident is uninsured, there is no insurance company to turn to if they want to be compensated for the damages they’ve incurred.
This can be a complicated scenario, and if you are in such a situation, you need to speak to an uninsured motorist car accident lawyer as soon as possible.
What Should I Do If I am in a Car Accident with an Uninsured Driver?
The steps you should take after an accident with an uninsured driver are pretty much the same as any road accident. There are some things you should keep in mind if you are ever in a road accident:
- Do not flee the scene. This applies to everyone involved in the accident. Whether the accident was your fault or not, the one thing you need to remember is to never leave the scene of the accident before the police arrive.
- Call 911. Inform them what happened. Give them the location.
- Check if anyone is injured. This includes anyone in your vehicle and anyone in the vehicle that hit you. It doesn’t matter at this point whose fault it is. You need to make sure who is hurt and who is not.
- If you are not seriously injured and can communicate properly, you should exchange contact information and insurance details with the other driver. It is at this point that you might realize that the other driver is not insured. If this is the case, don’t get into any arguments with that person. Just call an uninsured motorist car accident lawyer.
- If there are witnesses at the scene and if the police are not there yet, talk to them. Note down their version of what happened. Sometimes, when we’re the one who gets hit, we tend to see things differently as compared to a third party that did not get hurt but did witness the accident. Whatever details you manage to gather, note them down in a safe place as your underinsured car accident lawyer will find this information useful.
- Once the police arrive, answer all their questions honestly. There is no need to panic and no need to lie. At the same time, there is also no need to make any tall claims or sweeping statements. Even if you feel that you were partly responsible for the accident, don’t say it to the police. Just discuss the situation with an uninsured motorist car accident lawyer
- Even if you feel you are not seriously injured, it is always a good idea to let the paramedics check you out. Sometimes, when we are in shock, we might not be able to communicate what we actually feel. Injuries that are clearly evident will be treated immediately, but there are some internal injuries that appear days after the accident. It is thus a good idea to let a healthcare provider examine you so that there are no surprises later. Also, a medical report will be useful if you decide to take legal action against the uninsured driver. Your uninsured car accident lawyer will use the medical report to establish that you suffered bodily harm.
How can an Accident Attorney Help Me Get Compensation for a Car Accident If A Driver is Uninsured?
In theory, it is the insurance companies that are responsible for compensating victims if there is a road accident. That is the primary purpose of insurance – to ensure that if there is an accident and if there are damages, the drivers don’t have to pay out of their pocket.
However, you have to keep in mind that the business model of insurance companies is not to hand out cash at every opportunity they get. Insurance companies are in this business to make a profit.
Drivers pay them a premium every month, year after year after year. In return, these drivers get the peace of mind that if ever they get into an accident, any damages that they incur or the other parties incur will be covered by the insurance company. That is the premise of this insurance model.
However, this model goes completely off track if the drivers don’t have insurance. What happens then? Who pays for the damages? What do victims do about mounting medical bills, lost earnings and rehabilitation costs?
There is no easy answer, but an uninsured motorist car accident lawyer can certainly help you get justice even if the driver who hit you does not have insurance.
Buffalo, NY follows the fault system for accidents. Therefore, the driver who causes the accident will be responsible for any damages. If they have an insurance policy, things are relatively simpler, but if the driver who is at fault does not have insurance coverage, the case can become complicated.
There are other options available for accident victims who don’t have an insurance company to fall back on. Talk to an uninsured motorist car accident lawyer about this. There are several possible scenarios.
First, it might be possible that the driver who got hit, due to no fault of their own, have uninsured motorist coverage. In such a situation, even if the driver who is at fault does not carry insurance, the victims will be able to recover some damages.
This is actually why we pay premiums so that we can be protected when unforeseen events happen. However, every driver does not have uninsured motorist coverage. If that is the case, your uninsured car accident lawyer will have to find another option for you.
The second option is much more complicated. You could tell your uninsured motorist car accident lawyer that you want to file a lawsuit against the driver who hit you.
Legally, you can do so. Since the driver who is at fault is not only responsible for causing an accident, they are also guilty of driving illegally without insurance. They are already in a very weak position.
Talk to your uninsured car accident lawyer as to how you can go about filing such a lawsuit. Keep in mind that these things take time and effort.
There is a statute of limitations in place, and if you seriously intend to sue the uninsured driver, you need to act fast. Ask your uninsured car accident lawyer how soon you can file a lawsuit and the information they would require to take this measure on your behalf.
Talk to an Uninsured Motorist Accident Lawyer in Buffalo NY Today!
Once the police have done their investigation and you have had yourself checkout, you need to talk to an uninsured motorist car accident lawyer. You need to provide them all the details about the accident, and you need to sit down with them and determine your options.
Underinsured car accident lawyer knows how to deal with uninsured drivers and how to make sure they are held accountable for their actions. Discuss everything in great detail with your uninsured motorist accident lawyer.
For victims of road accidents, the future can become quite difficult if they sustain serious injuries. The physical pain that they have to endure is bad enough, but sometimes the injuries are so bad that they can have a long-term impact on the personal and professional life of the victims.
Not only that, there are medical bills to pay and prescription medicines to buy. If the injuries require long-term treatment and/or rehabilitation, the victims have to prepare for rehab costs as well.
All these problems are further intensified if the injuries make it impossible for the victims to go back to work immediately. This results in lost earnings which makes their financial situation unstable.
If the driver who caused the accident is insured, at least the victims have something to fall back on. Their uninsured motorist accident lawyer can help them file a compensation claim with the driver’s insurance company, and they can recover enough money to pay their medical bills and regain some financial stability.
But if the driver who caused the accident does not have insurance, the situation for the victims can become very frustrating.
It is important for such victims to know that the legal system in Buffalo, NY will not just let them suffer. There are ways to make the driver pay. You have to understand that an uninsured driver who gets into an accident is already in great trouble.
But for you, that is not what matters. For you, getting support for your mounting expenditures is the top priority. Obviously, you can’t put your health at risk. If the doctors recommend surgery, you have no choice but to agree.
If the doctor’s say you can’t go back to work for six months, what can you do? You have to follow the doctor’s orders. But doing so can make life difficult for you and your family.
You need financial support, and that is why you need to speak to an uninsured motorist accident lawyer so that they can work towards getting you that support.
Being on the road without insurance is an extremely irresponsible act. Such people have no respect for the law and also don’t care who they hurt in the process. These drivers need to be reminded that they have an ethical and legal obligation towards the people they’ve hurt.
Your underinsured car accident lawyer will make sure that happens, and that justice is served. Don’t lose hope if the driver who hit you has no insurance. There are ways to get the compensation you deserve.
Speak to an uninsured motorist accident lawyer at Buffalo Car Accident Lawyers and find out your options. They will help you understand the system and they will make you realize that the law is on your side.
