Southwest Florida Accident Attorney

SW Fla. Accident Lawyer Warns Florida Motorists About Uninsured Motorists

As a highly-experienced Fort Myers injury attorney handling serious auto accident claims throughout Southwest, I know there has been an increase in uninsured and under-insured motorists on Florida’s roads as the result on increasing unemployment and the poor economy.

In Florida, according to the insurance industry, there are as many as an estimated 30% uninsured and underinsured drivers among our motorists.  This is a staggering figure.  Think about it: almost one in every three (1/3) cars on the road has no bodily injury (liability) insurance coverage, or have very minimal coverage.

Unisured vs. Underinsured

An uninsured driver carries no auto insurance at all, while underinsured motorists carry the minimum required collision damage and no bodily injury liability insurance.

The bottom line:  a high number of today’s motorists are uninsured or underinsured.  I cannot tell you how many times, after reviewing, evaluating and handling thousands of accident cases, seriously injured people — good, decent, hardworking people who have suffered permanent injury in a car accident, motorcycle accident, truck accident, or other traffic crash — had little, if any, available remedy or recourse because the negligent driver was uninsured, and more often, under-insured (carrying minimum bodily injury liability limits of $10,000 or $20,000).  PROTECT YOURSELF!

Getting UM Coverage to Protect Your Family

If you have plenty of UM insurance coverage, then being the victim of an uninsured motorist or under-insured motorist will not ruin you financially.  Why? Because UM coverage through your own insurance company protects you — UM stands in the shoes of the negligent driver and pays you the money compensation the at-fault driver doesn’t have.

Uninsured Motorist Insurance Tips

1.    Get UM coverage now.
2.    Go to your insurance agent or broker today, tomorrow — soon — and DEMAND — don’t ask — DEMAND — uninsured motorist insurance coverage in minimum amount of $100,000 (and I recommend more — a minimum of $250,000 in my view).
3.    Make sure your UM is STACKED.  Don’t let the insurance agent or broker weasel you out of this if you have 2 or more vehicles.
4.    Stacked UM coverage means that your available UM coverage is multiplied by the number of covered vehicles ($ UM coverage amount X # of cars = $ total available coverage).
5.    For example, if you purchase $100,000 in UM coverage (which means if you’re injured by an uninsured driver or under-insured driver, your own insurance company will pay you up to $100,000 for your injuries), and you have 2 covered vehicles, and you stacked your UM, then your UM coverage is doubled. In other words, you now have $200,000 coverage for that same serious auto accident caused by an uninsured driver.

Why You Want and Need this Important Coverage

Because I have worn the hat of a Fort Myers injury lawyer, I know that even if a negligent motorist has liability insurance, far too often it is a minimal amount.  In other words, the other driver is “under-insured.”  This occurs when a person who caused an auto accident has minimal insurance limits, often not high enough to fully compensate for the losses they caused to another motorist or motorcyclist.

Typical insurance coverage provides for only $10,000 in losses.  Medical costs for a serious auto accident or injured motorcyclist who is involved in a Florida motorcycle accident can be very high — exceeding $50,000 or even $100,000.

Have More Questions? Seriously Injured and Confused on What to Do Next? Call Me!

As an lawyer, I work to bring my clients the best and fairest settlements possible in a timely and efficient manner.  I handle only valid personal injury and accident claims involving permanent injury, which limits my caseload, so I can provide each client with personal attention and service.

Call an experienced Fort Myers personal injury attorney at my law firm today to serve you.