How to Handle a Car Accident with an Uninsured Driver

Did you know that 13 percent of drivers on the roads of the United States were uninsured in the year 2019?

Unfortunately, whether it is an insured driver or an uninsured driver, auto accidents happen. You need to know what to do if you’re in an auto accident and what to do after an accident.

This is especially true if you’re in a car accident with an uninsured driver. The process of handling the accident and ensuring that you’re going to be covered is vital for peace of mind and a car accident lawyer can help.

Continue reading to learn about how to handle a car accident with an uninsured driver.

Steps To Take In an Accident With an Uninsured Driver

When you’ve been in a car accident there are some vital steps that you need to take to make sure that you’re covered. These steps are especially important if the other driver does not have car insurance.

File a Police Report

The uninsured driver may play on your empathy and ask you not to file a police report since they don’t have car insurance. As difficult as that might be, you need to file a report of the accident with the police.

If you fail to file a report of the accident it could prevent you from getting the compensation that you deserve from your insurance company or other parties to the accident.

Failure to file a report of the accident also makes it almost impossible for law enforcement and insurance to determine who is at fault for the accident.

There are also possible legal penalties that you could face for leaving the scene of an accident. It is important to note that if you leave the scene to get help, get medical attention, or leave an unsafe situation those penalties are thrown out.

Remain at the scene of the accident and call 911. From there, wait for law enforcement to arrive at the scene.

They’ll collect any information that they need from there. That info includes any evidence at the scene, both drivers’ information, and information about what or who caused the accident.

Don’t Accept Liability

It is important for you to not accept any liability for the accident when it happens. If you accept even the smallest shred of liability you could be on the hook for paying some of the damages that result from the accident.

This could result in your insurance company paying for the damages to the uninsured driver’s vehicle and even their medical bills. Do your best to avoid statements in which you admit any liability in the accident.

It is easy for the uninsured driver to take your words out of context and present them to law enforcement as an admission of liability for the accident. Avoid phrases like “I’m sorry that this happened”.

The best approach to take is to provide honest answers to law enforcement but don’t give them unnecessary details of what happened. Also, avoid making incriminating statements against yourself.

Get Medical Care

Getting a medical evaluation after the accident is a great idea. It is common for injuries to go unnoticed after the accident occurs. Adrenaline production goes into overdrive in your body so there might be injuries that you sustained that you don’t feel yet.

There are a lot of cases of people who have been in car accidents not discovering injuries until hours or even days after the accident happened.

This situation is made even worse because unnoticed and undiagnosed injuries can get worse the longer that they go untreated. Putting off getting a medical evaluation can lead to severe consequences down the line.

If there is one thing that you can’t put a price on, it is your health. It isn’t worth the gamble of not getting checked out by a medical professional after you’ve been in an accident. Find a nearby urgent care clinic or hospital and get looked at.

Contact Your Insurance Company

If you’ve been in a car accident then it is likely that you need medical attention and that your vehicle is damaged. At that point, it is a great idea to get ahold of your car insurance company as well as your health insurance provider for car accident help.

While your insurance companies are supposed to cover your injuries and property damage, be cautious with how much information you provide them. They have their own motives based on their company’s bottom line.

The best approach to take is to have an auto accident injury attorney handle working with your insurance companies. Your attorney will look out for your best interests and help you figure out the best way to proceed.

Who Will Pay For the Damages?

The person that pays the damages for the accident is different depending on which state the accident happened in. There are two different categories that a state falls under; tort, or no-fault.

If you live in a no-fault state then you have nothing to worry about and can move on from the accident. No-fault states require personal injury protection insurance that covers any injuries that result from the accident.

These states also limit the lawsuits that can be brought against other drivers for covering medical costs. You also pay for any property damage that occurs and file claims through your insurance company.

For tort states, the driver that caused the accident must pay for the damages and medical bills that result from it regardless of if they’re an uninsured driver or not.

If an accident happens in a tort state, someone will be held liable. Drivers also need third-party liability insurance for protecting others. Your insurance company also has the option of pressing charges against the uninsured driver.

Now You’re Ready

While accidents are horrible to experience, they happen and you need to ready so that you’ll know how to handle them. There are special steps that you need to take when you get in an accident with an uninsured driver.

It is important to not admit any liability in your statements to the other driver and to provide law enforcement with the proper information so that they’re able to determine who caused the accident.

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