Uninsured motorist coverage and why its important.

Hi everyone.. This one almost went into the rant section as a symptom of the fire burning inside me after dealing with my insurance company...I can't get into to much details but I hope this thread will save someone the hell im involved in now.. A lot of young kids probably don't know the consequences of their insurance not being up to par.


Ok this all began when my pregnant fiancé was t-boned when someone ran a red light. This someone was one of flints finest whiskey tango pieces of shart. Driving his girlfriends car... Running from someone who was trying to call 911 on him for driving so insane.. And he ran the light and BOOM. Our life changes..

Before the police could arrive.. Druggy whiskey tango sharthead ran off into the winter snow and made a get away.. The police found them a couple days later due to him leaving his girlfriends car on the scene.. The cops kept her car but we decided no charges were required.. He's an asshat no doubt but us getting him locked up isn't gonna fix anything, they already lost their car outa the deal.

Ok so now here we are. Pregnant injured driver.. The hospital couldn't do much because she was pregnant so she got chiropractic massages for the pain in the mean time.. The insurance company is now using this as its reasoning for not paying for treatment "she didn't seek help for 4 months" ... She was preggers..

We will get passed this new hurdle but its been 10 months atleast now and its just been a literal Mary go round. We are on our third lawyer.. The first one dumped us because and I quote "it's just not a valuable enough case for my time if they didn't have any insurance" the second lawyer was an ambulance chaser that tried referring us to his network of cronies and tried to milk our insurance for everything it was worth.. We now have a good lawyer. Someone who wants to help.. I had to do some serious research to find him. Not just get a number off a billboard.


OK so now here we are. Finally getting some help but the insurance company is fighting for all its worth. We aren't trying to sue anyone. We aren't filing a lawsuit. I haven't claimed back money for having to miss work and take care of my kids now. We literally are only asking for medical bills coverage and we are getting so much flak its nuts.. AND I HAVE UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE.. Not a ton but a pretty hefty amount. In the world of medical bills its a drop in the bucket but it would be a start..

Basically, I have some pretty good coverage but not the best. To keep my rates lower we lowered some of the coverage... Bad idea.

Lessons to be learned:

1. Don't let someone drive your car if they aren't explicitly stated as a driver in your policy. Not friends cause your drunk.. Not girlfriends or boyfriends NO ONE except for direct family and even then they could fight you.

2. Always have a massive amount of uninsured motorist coverage. Ask what 10 million dollars would cost and go from there lol. Get the absolute most you can afford.

3. Research research research lawyers.. I know this one should be obvious but for some it isn't. Including my fiancé. She thought she studied enough Finding the first 2 and it was hell. Really really read reviews and look for anything that isn't paid advertisement. Also this third lawyer is someone who lives more near me in a rural setting and seems to understand us a lot more then the first 2 big city $$$ lawyers we had.

Thank you for taking the time to read my therapeutic warning/rant. Writing it out probably lowered my blood pressure by 20%. I had just opened a letter from the insurance company right before I began this post and my god those people know how to word things in such a way that it makes you soooooooooooooo angry. Big words don't put sugar on "ya she's not hurt we don't need to help her" that well..

Any questions shoot, or advice anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks ATS for the outlet

a reply to: mindseye1609

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate situation!

But for future reference on finding a good lawyer here is a great website!

MARTINDALE-HUBBELL®

I found my divorce attorney thru this site, and he was worth every penny I spent!

a reply to: seeker1963

Thanks. Also thanks for that site I'm gonna look our current lawyer on there and see if he's there.

I forgot to mention in the op that our son has now been born and is good to go. Healthy and happy and big!

originally posted by: mindseye1609
a reply to: seeker1963

Thanks. Also thanks for that site I'm gonna look our current lawyer on there and see if he's there.

I forgot to mention in the op that our son has now been born and is good to go. Healthy and happy and big!

Well grats on a healthy baby boy! Now to get mama taken care of......

I have to also tell you that when I had my first meeting with my attorney he asked how I chose him and he was shocked that I had found him on this website!

He had good ratings from not only clients, but fellow attorneys as well!

Yup,
I was hit by an unlicenced driver that was driving his girlfriends uninsured car. Double whammy,,
He ended up spending 30 days in jail and paying restitution for my deductible.

Good luck with your case

it would help if states actually required proof.

in my state, law says you have to have coverage...
ok, no problem...

when you go to register your car and get plates, you have to sign a form saying you have coverage...you do not have to show proof.
i have also heard that yo have to show proof if you get pulled over.

i got pulled over 3 days ago..got hit with a seat belt violation. the statie asked for my insurance and i couldnt find it....not in the glove box...he said if i want to waive going to court, show it when i pay the fee before the date or if i contest it i have to show proof in court.

when i got home i got my card out and the next day i went and paid it off.
they didnt ask for proof either, even though on the ticket it said i did not show proof.

there was also a box with big bold print on the ticket that said you must show proof of insurance or your license will be suspended.....

my point is, i have only been asked 1 time for my insurance and that was the other day when i got pulled over. i did not furnish it and there were no issues.

i think maybe instead of signing a paper saying you have it to get plates, maybe you should actually show proof.

even then, a card saying you have insurance does not mean you actually have it.

my receipt for my ticket showed several charges...one of them was some type of search...
i didnt go to court so i assume the cop ran some type of name/dl search...

maybe 'they' should come up with a way for cops to run a dl# to see if there is actual valid coverage..

i dont know...i dont have the answer, i just know it is very easy to get away with not having insurance

another way that might be easier would be for insurance carriers to mail out a new card every month with the effective dayes.
my insurance has the effective dates that covers 12 months....

what if i let my policy lapse? no more coverage but my card will still pass.

if it was sent out monthly that would cut at least some of that out i think....if your card is only good for a month then you better damn pay to get next months card.

im sure the ins companies could figure out a way to do this.

my daughter has medical coverage through the state. we get a new card every month.
why cant auto be the same

a reply to: Grovit

In Pennsylvania, if you have a lapse in coverage, the insurance company notifies the state. The state then sends a red plastic envelope requiring you to turn in your license plate OR prove you have coverage.

Unfortunately, we still have people somehow skirting this and still driving uninsured.......

a reply to: seeker1963

all states are not like that...

what ohio does is randomly send out letters to people requiring them to show proof that they have coverage as of the date of the letter.
still though, just cause the card says you have it does not mean you have it. i dont know how many letters get sent each year. i have been driving in this state for 21 years and have never got a letter

i dont know how penn would find out if a person has a lapse in coverage.

a reply to: seeker1963

Plate scanning technology is finally really able to scan every plate on the road now its just going to cost a little bit and take some time to get into.

Some cop cars are already fitted with 360 degree scanners that work instantaneously. They can roll along and they get alerts to license plates that Are stolen or uninsured or have warrants or whatever. I sill can't imagine they can go after each and ever one of these people. They barely have time to handle all the call ins..

WE NEED DRONES ENFORCING INSURANCE! What could go wrong?

originally posted by: Grovit
a reply to: seeker1963

all states are not like that...

what ohio does is randomly send out letters to people requiring them to show proof that they have coverage as of the date of the letter.
still though, just cause the card says you have it does not mean you have it. i dont know how many letters get sent each year. i have been driving in this state for 21 years and have never got a letter

i dont know how penn would find out if a person has a lapse in coverage.

i dont know how penn would find out if a person has a lapse in coverage.

Well, that's just it! Unless the insurance carrier notifies the state the person will slip under the radar! For instance, my car recently went to the big junkyard in the sky, and I have not purchased another one yet. So I canceled my car insurance. That was about 5 months ago!

Obviously the insurance company I had NEVER notified the state because I haven't gotten a notice yet..

The system we have could work, but it is dependent on the insurance company cooperating with the various states they do business with.

And as far as Ohio goes, I live 20 minutes from the border. We have Pennsylvania residences who live here, yet they claim and address in Ohio with a friend or relative!

See the problem?

Luckily I have insurance through a top-rated company that only deals with military and their families. They have a real no hassle experience.

I'm hoping it all works out for you.

a reply to: Excallibacca

What's up on that? I see the commercials all the time and both my grandpa's served, one for a wile. Is it only parent to kid passable?

a reply to: mindseye1609

I got it parent to kid, but here is how it works. An active, retired, or honorably separated service member is eligible for coverage. That person (your grandpa) can get the coverage, then he can pass it to your parent. Once your parent has the coverage, then you are eligible.

a reply to: Excallibacca

I just asked around to my cousins and my mom to see what ever happened to my grandfathers policy, any reason he wouldn't of had one? No one seems to of ever heard of the company..

He was very much so an insurance kind of man too. Skilled trades worker til he retired when he got out, maybe he had better insurance through his jobs? Maybe flo got him with the bundle deal? (Lol)

a reply to: mindseye1609

It's also possible he may have been a member of one of their other services, including banking. Might be worth doing some research because his membership is key. It's called USAA, in case you need that.

a reply to: Excallibacca

I'm gonna ask my grandma about it on thanksgiving and see what the deal is. Ya I found the name, I've seen the comercials a lot and always wondered but never checked to see what's up. So that's where all the enlisted guys get the super low rates for new trucks and whatnot isn't it? I always assumed banks just loved dealing with enlisted guys but it makes sense they just have their own bank.

a reply to: mindseye1609

They get cheap insurance, great loan rates, but most of the time for banking they'll use a credit union on post.