Sometimes a motor vehicle accident is caused by a hit-and-run driver or an uninsured driver. There are certain notice requirements that you have to comply with when you’re involved in such an accident. You should do what you can do, within the limits of safety and within reason, to find out any information you can about the car that hit you and/or the driver of that car. The insurance company will question you, sometimes in great detail, about the circumstances of the accident. You should write down as much information as you can so that you can provide the insurance company with the information it requires.
Uninsurance Coverage in MA
In Massachusetts, uninsurance coverage is mandatory, and you will have this listed on your insurance policy. This is coverage that your insurance company has to offer. The minimum uninsurance coverage is $20,000, but you can pay to increase that coverage. It’s always a good idea to purchase as much uninsurance coverage as you can afford to protect you and your family in case you’re hit by an uninsured vehicle or by a hit-and-run driver.
Underinsurance Coverage in MA
Like uninsurance coverage, underinsurance coverage requires that you notify your insurance company as soon as practical that you might be making an underinsurance claim. Underinsurance is optional coverage that you will be able to have only if you pay additional money for the coverage. Again, it’s strongly recommended that you purchase as much underinsurance coverage as you can afford to protect yourself or your family from someone who causes harm but who has inadequate or limited insurance coverage.
Underinsurance coverage comes into play when you are hurt by a person whose insurance coverage is not enough to fully compensate you. If you have purchased underinsurance coverage in excess of the coverage of the person who hurt you, you can access this (your) coverage. However, there are many nuances and traps that you need to be aware of so as not to prejudice yourself and thus give the insurance company an argument not to provide coverage for you. As discussed, you need to notify the insurance company as soon as possible that you might be accessing this coverage. Perhaps more important, you must get your insurance company’s written permission to settle with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. If you don’t get this assent to settle, you may lose the underinsurance coverage. There are other issues to be aware of to access this type of coverage, such as when you can access the coverage and whether you have to “exhaust” the at-fault insurance policy first.
