Differences Between Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage

An uninsured motorist is one who either has intentionally not purchased auto insurance, has purchased insurance that did not meet Georgia's minimum liability requirements or has an insurance company that either denied their claim or refused to pay it.

An underinsured motorist falls into an entirely separate category. While an underinsured motorist meets the state requirements for liability, their coverage may be too low to cover all your damage and bodily injury expenses.

While uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist coverage are considered separate, in some states they must be purchased together. Check with your insurance agent or an Atlanta car accident lawyer to get a better feel for Georgia's requirements and how they may affect your personal injury claim.

It's important to understand the extent of your underinsured motorist coverage if you've been in a car accident in Georgia because it works very differently than uninsured motorist coverage. If you've been in a car accident in Georgia and are seeking compensation through your policy's uninsured motorist coverage and feel you're not getting a fair offer, you may want to contact an Atlanta car accident lawyer to get a better idea of your coverage.

A Closer Look at Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Underinsured motorist coverage will allow you to receive compensation for damages that the other motorist's insurance cannot cover after a car accident in Georgia. While this sounds simple enough, underinsured motorist coverage is not so cut and dry. It will only cover you up to your policy limits after the other motorists' payment has been subtracted. 

So if you have $50,000 in uninsured motorist coverage, and you receive $20,000 from the other motorists' insurance, you can only receive up to $30,000 from your own. You wouldn't receive $20,000 from the other motorist and then $50,000 from you own.

Claiming benefits from underinsured motorist coverage can be tedious and confusing.
If you've been in an accident in Georgia and want to make sure your needs are represented, you may want to hire an Atlanta car accident lawyer to make sure you're getting the maximum compensation from your underinsured motorist coverage.

An Atlanta car accident lawyer can evaluate your medical records, your insurance policy and the facts surrounding your accident to determine a reasonable compensation amount.

Contacting an Atlanta Car Accident Lawyer

If you are the victim of someone else's negligence or carelessness, whether in a traffic accident or some other type of accident, you have certain rights guaranteed by law.  To help you understand these rights and seek the compensation you may be eligible for to help get your life back in order, contact the Atlanta Law Offices of Sheryl L. Burke for a no-cost consultation on your injury case.