2. Legal Articles
  3. Accident & Injury
  4. Underinsured Drivers: A Big, Big Problem

REFINE BY AREAS

Search Legal Articles

Underinsured Drivers: A Big, Big Problem

by Joel H. Schwartz on May. 15, 2015

Accident & Injury Car Accident Accident & Injury  Personal Injury 

Summary: Having the right insurance is critical for your well-being. Check out this article to learn what you need to be properly covered.

According to the Insurance Research Council, nearly 13 percent of motorists across the country have no auto insurance. This means that one in seven drivers on the nation's highways drives with absolutely no auto insurance whatsoever.

But what about underinsured motorists - those drivers who have just enough coverage to legally drive, but not quite enough to cover injuries caused by a serious accident? If you have been injured in a car accident caused by an underinsured motorist, it's important to contact a Massachusetts personal injury lawyer right away. You have options; we can help you pursue the right ones.

Minimum Auto Insurance Coverage in Massachusetts

As one of several states that has adopted a no-fault auto insurance system, Massachusetts requires all drivers to carry the following minimum car insurance coverage:

  • $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident for bodily injury to others
  • $8,000 per person or accident for personal injury protection (PIP)
  • $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident in uninsured motorist coverage
  • $5,000 of property damage coverage (for damage to another's property)

Considering that the National Safety Council calculates the average cost of motor vehicle injuries at $78,900 - and property damage at $8,900 - minimum coverage is frequently not enough to reimburse a crash victim for his injuries and other losses.

It is imperative that you review your insurance policy to see if you have underinsurance to cover you in case of a bad injury or loss.  Simply put, you cannot count on the at fault party to have enough insurance to adequately compensate you.  With underinsurance, you can drive confidently knowing that should a bad accident tragically strike, you will have the insurance to protect you.

We are happy to give you a free evaluation of your auto policy to let you know if you have too much or too little coverage.  Just call us anytime.

What Are Your Options after a Collision with an Underinsured Driver?

If you have been injured in a crash caused by an underinsured motorist, you need an experienced personal injury attorney on your side from the start. At Joel H. Schwartz, P.C., we begin exploring your options immediately. We also help our clients negotiate with their own insurers if they must make a claim against their own policy. Don't assume that your insurance company will treat you fairly. Your auto insurance carrier is a business, and it is interested in protecting its profits. In some cases, we are able to recover compensation directly from the at-fault driver. Other times, we obtain a judgment against the policies in place for other vehicles in the at-fault motorist's household. We have been representing the injured in Massachusetts for nearly 50 years. We will work hard to obtain the best possible result for you.

Boston Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers

If you have been injured in a car accident, or you have lost a loved one to wrongful death due to a motor vehicle collision, you have important legal rights. The personal injury attorneys at Joel H. Schwartz, P.C. offer experienced, compassionate legal counsel to individuals and families throughout Massachusetts. For a free consultation, call us today at (617) 742-1170 to speak to a personal injury attorney about your case.

Legal Articles Additional Disclaimer

Lawyer.com is not a law firm and does not offer legal advice. Content posted on Lawyer.com is the sole responsibility of the person from whom such content originated and is not reviewed or commented on by Lawyer.com. The application of law to any set of facts is a highly specialized skill, practiced by lawyers and often dependent on jurisdiction. Content on the site of a legal nature may or may not be accurate for a particular state or jurisdiction and may largely depend on specific circumstances surrounding individual cases, which may or may not be consistent with your circumstances or may no longer be up-to-date to the extent that laws have changed since posting. Legal articles therefore are for review as general research and for use in helping to gauge a lawyer's expertise on a matter. If you are seeking specific legal advice, Lawyer.com recommends that you contact a lawyer to review your specific issues. See Lawyer.com's full Terms of Use for more information.