Any accident can cause physical pain and emotional suffering. However, the potential legal complications and financial uncertainty are often worse if you can’t locate the at-fault driver or if the at-fault driver doesn’t have enough car insurance to pay for your serious injuries or your loved one’s death.
Michigan Law Requires Car Insurance
Michigan auto insurance law requires motorists to carry three types of insurance:
- Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
- Property Protection (PPI)
- Residual Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability (BI/PD)
Unfortunately, some motorists do not follow the law and operate a motor vehicle without the required insurance. Often, these motorists do not have the financial assets to pay for accident damages when they cause a crash that results in severe injuries or death.
Will Your Own Insurance Company Pay for Your Accident Injuries?
Michigan is a no-fault insurance state. In most cases, your first claim will be to your own insurance company. However, if you suffer serious injuries or your loved one is killed, then you may have a claim against the at-fault driver. Typically, the at-fault driver’s insurer will pay the rest of your damages after settlement negotiations or a car accident lawsuit, but this may not be the case if:
- You are hurt in a hit and run accident and the at-fault driver can’t be found.
- The driver who caused your crash does not have the required auto insurance or does not have enough auto insurance to cover your damages.
In these cases, you may need to turn to your own insurance company for compensation pursuant to the uninsured motorist coverage or underinsured motorist coverage you purchased as part of your own car insurance policy.
Unfortunately, your car insurance company may try to deny your full and fair recovery. Although you made all of the required premium payments, your insurance company may now act as an adverse party and try to maximize its own profits by paying you as little as possible for your injuries.
An experienced car accident lawyer can protect your interests even when your claim is against your own insurance company. Accordingly, we encourage you to contact a Bloomfield Hills personal injury lawyer for a complimentary consultation about your car accident case as soon as possible.