You would hope that everyone that is driving on the roads would have insurance, but unfortunately this is not always the case.
There is a minimum amount of liability insurance that is required by the law in the majority of the states, yet there are still drivers that get behind the wheel of a car with absolutely no insurance at all.
It turns out that this number of people might be higher than you think, and an estimated 1 in 8 drivers will drive without any form of car insurance.
In these cases, even though you have followed all of the necessary laws regarding insurance, you can still end up in an accident with someone that is not insured. You might be left wondering what happens next in these types of situations, and we are going to tell you about just that.
We are going to tell you exactly what happens if you get hit by someone without insurance, and what you need to do to take the right steps if this happens.
What To Do Immediately After the Accident
The first thing that you will need to do following an accident is to contact the police. At this stage, it doesn’t matter if the other driver is insured or not, you should contact the police regardless to make sure that the accident has been reported.
Calling the police is even more important if the other driver does turn out to be uninsured, as this will help to make the process easier afterwards. Their report is going to be important later down the line, so it will be really beneficial to have all of this information recorded.
Something that you should never do in this type of situation is to accept money from the other driver. If they have been driving around without insurance, the likelihood is that they are trying to offer you money so that you don’t take the legal route instead. Without knowing exactly how much the entire process following is going to cost you, you should never accept any money from the other person.
Something else that you will need to make sure that you do is to swap information with the other driver. While they don’t have any insurance information to give you, taking down the relevant contact and vehicle details will be helpful. Additionally, you can collect contact information from anyone that witnessed the accident as their statements will help you through the legal process.
Try to get as much information as possible after the accident, including the make and model of the other car involved and the time and location in specific where the accident took place. Having all the information can really help you when it comes to claiming through insurance.
As well as gathering all of the necessary information, you should also record it. You can take pictures of all of the damage that has occurred, or damage to your surroundings. It is also a good idea to take a picture of the other driver’s license plate in case you need it later. These are important details to record as they can help with your claim later on.
Making a Claim
Now that you have all of the information that you could possibly need, and you have contacted the police to make their own report, you can move on to the next step. The next thing that you will need to do is to contact the insurance company that you are with to inform them of the accident that took place.
You will need to make it very clear that the accident involved an uninsured drive, as this will likely influence what happens next. All of the information that you have gathered will come in handy during this stage, and you should have it in front of you to refer to when you contact the insurance.
You are going to need your policy number for your insurance plan, and they are going to ask you for the date, time, and location of the accident. Try to be as clear as possible when you are giving the information to make sure that everything you are saying is correct.
You will then be required to provide a report of how the accident happened, and your evidence will come in handy here. Another thing that you will need is the name of the police department that is involved, and the police report number.
What Happens in a No-Fault State?
If you are hit by an uninsured driver in a no-fault state, the process will be slightly different when it comes to claiming on the insurance.
A no-fault that means that it doesn’t matter who was at fault for the accident, and your insurance provider will be the one to pay out for all of the expenses, whether it was their fault or not.
In this case, it doesn’t necessarily matter if the other person had insurance or not, as the claim will be filed with your own company and not theirs.
Helpful Insurance to Have - Uninsured Motorist Coverage
This type of insurance will ensure that you are protected if you were to be involved in an accident that has been caused by a driver that does not have any insurance. In some states, it is required to have a certain amount of coverage for uninsured motorists.
This will ensure that you are covered if there is any damage caused to your vehicle, and it will also cover any needed compensation due to injuries. It is not required in all states, but it is definitely something to consider adding to your policy if you do not have it already.
Starting a Lawsuit
When it comes to making a claim against an uninsured driver to obtain compensation, you might need to file a lawsuit.
However, it is worth noting that you might not receive what you are expecting in this situation as many uninsured drivers will not be able to afford to compensate you, even if they have been held liable.
