On a Friday night in late August, scooter rider Max New lost his life when he was hit by an unidentified motorist. The reason police do not know the identity of the driver at-fault is because he or she took off after hitting New, committing a fatal hit-and-run accident.
Unfortunately, such accidents are not uncommon. Under Georgia law, if a driver involved in an accident cannot be tracked down and identified, he or she is considered an uninsured driver. And this is the reason why carrying uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance coverage is so vitally important, even if a state, like Georgia, requires proof of insurance to legally drive.
Uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverage, known as UM/UIM insurance coverage, helps cover the cost of one's medical care in the event that the at-fault driver's insurance is inadequate or does not exist. In order for an accident to qualify for UM/UIM coverage, the insured must have "perceivable injuries" that were caused by the other driver and the other driver must have no insurance or not enough insurance to cover medical expenses. A Macon uninsured driver and underinsured motorist accident lawyer can further explain what counts as a perceivable injury for UM/UIM coverage.
It is estimated that 15 to 30 percent of drivers are underinsured, which typically means that they carry the minimum limits that a state allows. Most of the time, these limits will not cover more than the most minor of accidents. In 2009, Georgia reformed UM/UIM laws to give residents more options for coverage. Drivers can elect to:
- Carry no UM/UIM coverage
- Have UM/UIM coverage that is deducted from the defendant's liability limits or
- Have UM/UIM coverage that stacks with other individuals' UM/UIM coverage.
Stacking allows one coverage to be combined with another, increasing the amount available to cover any injuries. For example, if someone is driving a friend's car and is in an accident, but both the driver and the owner of the car carry UM/UIM insurance, the coverage can be combined. If the driver has $25,000 in coverage and the friend also has $25,000 in coverage, the combined coverage would be $50,000.
Option "a" above is not advised since it leaves an injured driver high and dry with little to no chance of medical expenses being covered if he or she is hit by an uninsured or underinsured motorist. Some sort of UM/UIM coverage is recommended for all Georgia drivers.
The state of Georgia requires all drivers to purchase automobile insurance with minimum limits for bodily injury liability of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per occurrence and property damage liability of $25,000 per occurrence. Unfortunately, some drivers decide to ignore this law. For this reason, carrying UM/UIM insurance is a wise decision for all drivers to help them cover medical costs in the event of an accident. If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident involving an uninsured or underinsured motorist, please seek the advice of an experienced Macon personal injury attorney.
