Hit and Run Accident - That's What Uninsured Motorist Coverage is For!

We receive many phone calls from clients who have been struck by another vehicle who either fled the scene of the accident or who was uninsured at the time. They think they’re simply out of luck and can’t make a claim for property damage or bodily injury. In most cases, this assumption is incorrect.

Maryland requires that all motorists who insure their vehicles purchase "uninsured/underinsured" coverage. This protects drivers and passengers from injuries caused by uninsured (or underinsured) motorists. A claim against the uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is "no fault" in that it does not affect insurability or insurance rates. In other words, your rate cannot be raised and you cannot be cancelled should you make a UM claim. The only downside of a UM claim is that for property damage reimbursement, you will receive payment from your own insurance company less the deductible you have under your collision coverage. If you don’t have collision and only have liability coverage, the deductible under UM is usually stated in the policy.

An underinsured motorist claim is made under the same UM provision but involves a claim where the at-fault driver was not totally uninsured, but simply did not have enough coverage to pay the full value of the claim. In Maryland, a driver of a non-business vehicle is required to have a minimum of $20,000 of insurance for bodily injury of one person, $40,000 for bodily injury of all persons (to be divided by all victims none of whom may receive more than $20,000) and property damage of $10,000. Based on this woefully inadequate minimum coverage required by the Maryland General Assembly, it is easy to see how easy it is to have an underinsured motorist claim.

If you need help with an Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist claim, please contact the lawyers at Belsky, Weinberg and Horowitz today!