Dealing with insurance claims after a car accident in St. Petersburg can be stressful. Even if you file a claim with your insurance company, you cannot be sure that you will be treated fairly. All insurance companies work to protect their best interests, which means paying as little as possible to settle insurance claims.
Our St. Petersburg car accident lawyers at Lopez Law Group Accident Injury Attorneys have extensive experience handling car accident claims. With more than 25 years of legal experience, our lawyers understand how insurance companies process claims. As a result, we are prepared to respond to and fight back when insurance companies try to undervalue and deny valid accident claims.
Contact our law firm today at (727) 933-0015 to schedule a free consultation with one of our personal injury attorneys in St. Petersburg, FL. Our personal injury lawyers have recovered millions of dollars in jury verdicts and settlement agreements for our clients. We want to help you receive the compensation you deserve for a car accident case.
How Our St. Petersburg Personal Injury Lawyers Help You With an Uninsured Motorist Claim
Proving a driver does not have insurance coverage is not sufficient to win an uninsured motorist claim. You have the burden of proving the other driver caused your car accident. You also have to prove the car crash caused your injuries and that you sustained damages.
You need an experienced legal team working for you to obtain uninsured motorist compensation. Your insurance provider has a team of professionals protecting its best interest. You should have the same.
When you hire the Lopez Law Group Accident Injury Attorneys to handle your claim, you can expect our legal team to:
- Investigate the cause of your car accident and gather evidence proving causation and fault
- Verify insurance coverage and file insurance claims
- Handle all matters related to all insurance claims in your case
- Monitor the police investigations into a hit-and-run accident
- Document your damages and injuries, including hiring medical specialists and other expert witnesses as necessary
- Negotiate with the insurance company for a fair settlement amount
- File a lawsuit and proceed to court if the other party refuses to negotiate in good faith
Our legal team stands up for the rights of accident victims and their families. Contact our law office to schedule a free consultation with an experienced St. Petersburg uninsured motorist claims lawyer.
What Is Uninsured Motorist Insurance Coverage?
Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is an insurance policy that protects you in case a hit-and-run driver or uninsured driver injures you. Many insurance companies provide UM coverage as optional insurance a person purchases as part of their liability insurance policy.
If an uninsured or hit-and-run driver causes an accident, your insurance company pays your damages as if it were the insurance company for the at-fault driver. Therefore, you could be entitled to receive compensation for your lost wages, medical bills, and other economic damages. You could also receive compensation for your pain and suffering and other non-economic damages.
How Does Florida’s No-Fault Insurance Impact Uninsured Motorist Claims?
Florida is a no-fault insurance state. Therefore, all drivers must have a minimum amount of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance coverage. The no-fault insurance coverage pays for medical care and loss of income for the driver and other covered individuals, regardless of which driver caused the car crash.
Therefore, your first claim after being hit by an uninsured driver is against your PIP policy. However, PIP insurance only covers a portion of your medical bills and lost wages. Furthermore, no-fault insurance pays nothing for your non-economic damages.
However, if you sustained serious injuries in an accident, you could file a claim against the driver who caused the car wreck. A claim against the other driver can include all damages caused by the car accident, including:
- The total cost of medical treatment and rehabilitation
- All loss of income and benefits, including future decreases in earning capacity
- Pain and suffering damages
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Permanent impairments and disabilities
- A decrease in quality of life
- Disfigurement and scarring
You must prove that the other driver caused your injury to hold the driver liable for damages. If so, the person’s liability insurance company should pay your claim. However, what happens if the driver did not have insurance or the driver fled the accident scene?
Filing an Uninsured Motorist Claim in St. Petersburg
If the person who caused your car accident fled the scene or does not have liability insurance, you can file an uninsured motorist claim with your insurance company. Your company should compensate you for the damages caused by the accident.
However, insurance companies often deny or fight uninsured motorist claims. Reasons why your UM claim might be denied could include the following:
- You did not prove that the other driver caused the accident
- You failed to seek prompt medical care after the crash, thereby failing to mitigate damages
- You were partially to blame for the cause of the accident under contributory fault laws
- Your insurance coverage does not apply to this situation
- The amount you claim is higher than the claim is worth
- Your injuries are not as severe as you claim
Insurance companies use many excuses for not paying valid uninsured motorist claims. Fortunately, our St. Petersburg uninsured motorist claims attorneys understand these tactics and how to fight back. We gather evidence and build a strong case for full compensation for all damages.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our St. Petersburg Uninsured Motorist Claims Lawyers
When you file an insurance claim, you should receive the compensation you deserve based on your injuries and damages. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. In most cases, you must fight to recover a fair settlement.
Call us to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our St. Petersburg car accident lawyers. We are sincerely sorry for the pain and suffering caused by a hit-and-run or uninsured driver. We are here to help you as you continue to recover from the injuries and get back to your life.
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CAR ACCIDENT RESOURCES
- Most Dangerous Roads/Intersections in St. Petersburg
- St. Petersburg Car Accident Statistics
- Is It Possible to File a Claim Without a Police Report in St. Petersburg?
- Can I Receive Compensation After a Car Accident in St. Petersburg Without a Lawyer?
- Common St. Petersburg Car Accident Scenarios — Causes & Determining Fault
