Here’s What to Do If You’re Hit by an Uninsured Driver in Texas
Texas Accident News2020-07-04T11:15:58-07:00Auto accidents, always scary and stressful, get even more stressful if the driver who hit you is uninsured. An uninsured driver is legally defined as someone who has no insurance or who hits and runs. Not only are you suddenly burdened with car repairs and medical bills, but you’re also faced with getting the money to pay for them. The South Texas Law Office of Joe Brad Brock offers this guide on what to do if you’re a Texan in this situation.
Texas Law
Texas Law gives you the opportunity to buy uninsured motorist coverage to protect yourself. This coverage is optional, but your insurance company must offer you the opportunity to purchase it, and your refusal to purchase must be in writing. If the insurance company does not have your written refusal, they must provide you uninsured motorist coverage. This coverage protects you, your family members, passengers in your car, and anyone driving your car with your permission. It pays your medical and funeral expenses, car repairs, car rental, lost wages and other damages up to the limits that you have purchased.
Gather Information for Your Insurance Company
First things first: call the police. At this point, it is important that you gather all the information you can about the accident, the driver, and the responding police. Get the other driver’s contact information, the make and model of their vehicle, their driver’s license, and their license plate. Take pictures of both cars and any damage sustained, as well as the roads you both were driving on and any traffic signs nearby. Lastly, get the name and badge number of the responding police officer in addition to the report number for your case.
How Does Texas Handle Fault in Auto Accidents?
Texas is an at-fault state, which means that in every car accident, the person who is determined to be at fault is responsible for covering the expenses of the other party. Typically, that means that their insurance company would pay for your damages. However, if the person who hit you is not insured, things get more complicated. At this stage, you should never accept any money from the driver who hit you. There’s no way to know what your costs will be ahead of time and accepting any money now may impact your ability to secure a full payment in the future.
Getting Compensation from an Uninsured Motorist
If you have uninsured motorist protection as part of your car insurance, then your insurance company should cover your costs. However, this can be a challenging process, because you must prove all your damages, which is why it’s important to have a well-informed lawyer who will aggressively protect your interests in court.
Car Accident Legal Assistance for South Texas
The Law Office of Joe Brad Brock has been assisting Texas residents with personal injury and car accident legal services since 1991. Clearly, he and his staff have the knowledge, experience, and dedication to protect your rights to fair compensation and get you the best outcome possible. If you’ve been involved in a car accident with an uninsured motorist, contact The Law Office of Joe Brad Brock today to schedule a personal appointment.
Note: These posts are written with the use of outside sources. These outside sources include but are not limited to news reports, police reports, police news bulletins, social media posts, eyewitness accounts about accidents in Texas. For this reason, the information provided in this post has not been verified independently by members of our firm or writing team. If you discover any information that is not correct in our post, contact our firm and we will make every effort to correct the information to ensure that our post reflects the most accurate information available.
Disclaimer: We take pride in being valued members of the local business community in Corpus Christi and are always striving to improve the safety of our fellow community members. While we are always saddened to know that someone was injured in an accident, attorney Joe Brad Brock hopes that through awareness and education, people will take the necessary precautions to avoid being injured in a serious accident like this. The information contained in these posts should not be considered legal advice or medical advice. This post is not a solicitation for business and should not be viewed as such. The photos used in this post are not representative of the actual crash scene.