The Other Driver Doesn’t Have Insurance! What Should You Do?
Posted by admin at 19 March 2021, at 10 : 22 AM
Dealing with the fallout of a car accident is always stressful, but as long as you take the right steps, you can make sure that everything is sorted out properly. One of the first things you should do is swap insurance details with the other driver, but what if they inform you at this point that they don’t have insurance?
Unfortunately, this can make the process more difficult and you need to make sure that you do everything right so you don’t get stuck in a bad situation. So, what should you do if you get hit by an uninsured driver?
Call The Police Right Away
Once you have made sure that everybody is ok and nobody requires medical attention, you should call the police right away. In most states, drivers are required to have a minimum amount of insurance coverage and if the other driver does not, they are breaking the law. It’s always a good idea to call the police anyway, but it’s particularly important if the other driver doesn’t have insurance. Getting the police involved from the outset will help make sure that everything is handled correctly.
Gather Plenty Of Evidence
When you call your insurance company, they will want as much detail as possible about the accident and the other driver, so start gathering evidence right away. You may also decide that you want to contact a legal company like Balkin & Mausner Injury Lawyers to make a claim in the near future. The more evidence you have, the easier it will be to win your claim, so you should start taking lots of photos of the scene and any damage. If you are injured, see a doctor and get a medical report shortly after the accident.
Usually, you would take the insurance details of the other driver, but since they don’t have any, you just need to take their name, contact details, and information about the car.
Don’t Accept Money From Them
The uninsured driver knows that they have broken the law and they’re probably going to get a hefty fine after dealing with the police. At this point, they might try to get out of the situation by offering you money. They will offer to pay you for the cost of the damage to your car so there is no need to get the police or insurance companies involved. Sometimes, this is a tempting offer because it means that the whole situation will be dealt with quickly, but it will only cause more problems. Firstly, you don’t know exactly how much the damage will cost to fix and you might have medical costs to cover too. What happens if you agree to this and then the money they give you doesn’t cover your costs? You’re out of pocket and you’ll never see them again. There is also a chance that they could lie and give you fake details too, so you never see a penny. Remember, this person is already breaking the law by driving without insurance, so can you really trust them?
Keep these tips in mind because you never know when you could be hit by an uninsured driver and you need to be prepared.