How Does UIM Coverage Work after a Motorcycle Accident?
When your injuries occur in a motorcycle accident, there's a strong possibility that they will be more severe than if you were in a car accident. If you were in a car that crashed at 20 mph, you might suffer moderate injuries, but if you're on a motorcycle, those injuries are likely more significant. And that means you have a lot more medical bills to recover in your accident case.
Normal policy limits are around $30,000. So when injuries exceed that amount it becomes necessary to file a UIM claim. That may sound simple, but that's not true. Your own insurance company will fight you.
In this article, we'll explain how Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist coverage works in a motorcycle accident claim, including what you can expect from your insurance company and how to make sure you're ready for their tactics.
Questions Answered on This Page:
- How does UIM coverage work exactly?
- What should I do if my medical bills are more than the policy of the other driver will pay for?
- I have UIM coverage. What does that mean?
What is UIM?
You essentially have UIM coverage to insure the rest of the drivers on the road. Let me explain how that works. If the other driver has too little coverage, they are regarded as an Underinsured Motorist, if the other driver has no insurance, they are an Uninsured Motorist. Both are provided for under UIM coverage. The value of UIM coverage is equal to or lesser than your liability coverage. So you can't have a liability policy of $30,000 and a UIM policy for $100,000.
This UIM coverage pays for injuries, such as medical expenses, that result from an accident caused by a driver who has too little insurance to cover all of the injuries. In Texas, UIM is part of UM. However, you don't automatically get paid the difference between the other guy's liability policy and your losses. There's a process to ensure you have access to those funds.
What happens when I try to use my UIM coverage?
Here's the dirty little lie insurance carriers often tell. They assure you that if you purchase this extra coverage, they'll give you no problems if/when you need to use that coverage. That's not true. Your coverage essentially means that your insurance carrier with defend the other driver and work against you to award you less money in the claims process.
There's a notable case where a client's own insurance company hired a defense team to defend the drunk driver that struck her from paying the carrier's client's own claim. The drunk driver had a $25,000 liability policy and the client had a $100,000 UIM claim. Rather than pay the $75,000 difference in the case, the insurance carrier opted to take the case the court and fight paying their client.
Call Grossman Law Offices
Handling UIM coverage is a complex issue, but the experienced attorneys at Grossman Law Offices have over 25 years of experience handling the tactics insurance carriers use to try and devalue or reject your claim. We're confident we can put you in the best possible position to recover your losses.
Give us a call at (855) 326-0000 with whatever questions you may have.
Read our other articles concerning motorcycle accidents:
- How do I get money to replace my motorcycle after an accident?
- Recovering damages for pain and suffering after a motorcycle accident.
- How to accidents involving ATVs work?
