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ChatAttorneys Prepared to help Victims in Accidents Caused by Underinsured Motorists in MA & RI
The Insurance Research Council estimates that one out of every seven drivers in the United States is currently insured. Massachusetts has a much better track record when it comes to uninsured drivers – only about four percent of Bay State drivers lack insurance. Rhode Island’s track record is worse than the national average, with one recent report putting the percentage of uninsured drivers at 17 percent. How can there be so many uninsured drivers in Rhode Island, when Rhode Island’s Department of Business Regulation and state law require all vehicle owners to secure liability insurance?
Getting Insurance vs. Keeping Insurance
Getting motor vehicle insurance and keeping it are two different things. A Rhode Island resident can obtain the required insurance, pay for the first month’s premium, register a car, and then allow the insurance policy to lapse, through failure to pay additional premiums when they come due. He or she was insured when the car was registered; they just have no coverage when they run the stop sign and crash into you.
Rhode Island Vehicle Owners Need Uninsured Motorist Coverage
How do you pay medical bills when the accident was the fault of someone driving without insurance? What do you do about lost time from work while you recuperate from your injuries? If the driver at-fault has no coverage, you can proceed against your own insurance company for those damages, if you have uninsured motorist coverage.
Rhode Island requires that every car insurance policy sold in the state offer uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UIM). But the purchaser of the policy can reject UIM coverage, if he or she does so in writing. All too many Rhode Island policyholders decide that saving a few dollars each month is worth the risk that they (or their loved ones) will be involved in an accident with someone who drives without insurance. There’s an old saying for that kind of thinking: “Penny wise, pound foolish.”
You Also Need Underinsured Motorist Coverage
Sure, the term is confusing, but all Rhode Island vehicle owners also need underinsured coverage. Consider the following situation: You or a member of your family is seriously injured in an accident and the driver at-fault does not have sufficient insurance coverage to make you whole. The driver at-fault may only have the minimum coverage ($25,000 per injured individual, $50,000 if more than one person was injured). With underinsured coverage, you can “piggy-back” or “stack” your coverage onto the at-fault driver’s coverage. That would allow $50,000 per injured individual, or $100,000 if more than one person was injured.
In Rhode Island, the average cost of a hospital stay is more than $2,500 per day. That doesn’t include the doctor’s bills, the cost of rehabilitation services, and the lost income that you may have because you are out of work. The bottom line: Going without uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can be one of the most expensive mistakes that you ever make.
Have You Been in a Motor Vehicle Accident?
Have you or a loved one been injured in an auto accident? If so, you deserve skillful, energetic, and experienced attorneys to help you prepare your case. The injury lawyers at the Bottaro Law Firm, LLC have the resources to investigate the accident and fight to protect your legal rights. We will pursue your case at no cost until we win. Remember that delay can harm your case. Our experienced legal team is available 24/7 for a free consultation. Give us a call at 866-529-9700, or complete our convenient online contact form.