Insurance companies include their provisions in the policy purchased by the customer. After an accident on the road, drivers should study the exact terms of the purchased policy.
General rules about coverage
• The typical policy does cover claims caused by someone’s negligence.
• The policy might cover claims that have resulted from reckless driving.
• The typical policy does not cover accidents caused by intentional or criminal conduct, or those that take place when an unauthorized person is seated behind the auto’s steering wheel.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
This coverage does get added to some policies. The policy holder benefits from the existence of that coverage if the level of the policy’s coverage exceeds the limits on the other driver’s policy. Car Accident Lawyer in Cambridge knows that no policy holder that has purchased this added coverage can make a claim for more than the limit, as stated on that purchased policy. At no point can any policy holder have a level of uninsured/underinsured coverage that is greater than what the same policy holder has in the form of liability coverage.
The limits that the insurance company places on the value of a claim, or the level of coverage do not make it impossible for a policy holder to sue the responsible driver, in hopes of obtaining a larger amount of money. Still, such an action seldom proves very useful, because someone that has no, or just a minimum amount of car insurance seldom has many assets.
If a driver that has paid for uninsured motorist coverage becomes the target of a hit-and-run driver, then that same driver has the right to use his or her uninsured motorist claim. That means that the policy holder can bring a 1st party charge against his or her own insurance company.
The insurance company will pursue that 1st party charge, if the identity of the hit-and-run driver cannot be determined. On the other hand, if the police do learn the name of that hit-and-run driver, then the insurance company needs to find out if that same driver carries any form or automobile insurance.
It could be that the ability to locate the driver fails to help with gaining a fair compensation for the hit motorist. In other words, it may be that, assuming the policy holder’s possession of uninsured motorist coverage, the same policy holder/motorist can go ahead and bring a 1st party charge against his insurance company.
A policy holder that had failed to buy uninsured motorist coverage would be out-of-luck. He or she would be unable to sue the responsible driver, because that same person had left the scene of the accident. That one example highlights the wisdom behind investing in some form of uninsured motorist coverage.
