If you have been injured in a car accident, it is important to explore all available sources of compensation. This is especially true when the at-fault driver was driving without insurance or without enough insurance to cover all of your expenses and damages. In such a case, you can draw upon the uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage in your own insurance policy, and you can ALSO collect from all other policies for any person who resided with you on the accident date who is related to you by blood or marriage. Simply put, you can stack and add-together all policies in your household and collect through all coverage sources. This would not increase your family's insurance premiums, and this approach vastly increases the tax-free money available to pay victims' accident and injury claims.
If you present an uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance claim, your own insurance provider steps into the shoes of the defendant. Thus, even though it is your coverage, the insurance adjuster will seek to minimize payment to you in the same way the insurance company for the at-fault driver would. For this reason, it is very important to consult with an experienced car accident lawyer before accepting any kind of settlement from an insurance company.
The lawyers at Nagle & Associates, P.A., have extensive experience handling uninsured/underinsured motorist claims for clients in Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Charlotte, throughout North Carolina and nationwide. We know how to handle insurance company negotiations and have a proven record of success obtaining favorable settlements in uninsured/underinsured motorist accident cases.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage is Stackable
Under North Carolina law, you can not only draw upon your own insurance policy, but also you can collect from the policy of anyone related by blood or marriage that you currently live with who has UM/UIM coverage for his or her own automobile.
The following example illustrates how UM/UIM coverage works in an auto accident case:
Driver A hits driver B. Driver A was 100% at fault. Driver A has only $30,000 in insurance coverage for personal injury, but driver B's injuries are severe and permanent. Driver B has UM/UIM coverage for up to $100,000. Driver B's wife has a separate policy on her vehicle for $50,000. Driver B's son lives with him and has a separate policy on his vehicle with $100,000. The total coverage available to driver B in this case is $250,000: $30,000 in liability + $220,000 in underinsured motorist coverage after stacking all family policies in the household.
This is a simple example and car accident cases can be much more complex. To learn more about your rights after an accident and all possible sources of compensation, it is important to consult with an experienced personal injury lawyer.
Our attorneys can guide you through the legal process and help you pursue compensation from every available source, including UM/UIM coverage.
Contact Us • North Carolina Underinsured Motorist Lawyer
Winston-Salem personal injury attorney Carl Nagle is a former insurance adjuster and insurance defense lawyer who knows more about insurance company lowball settlement tactics than most people would ever suspect existed. This knowledge helps our firm's clients get the most out of their UM/UIM accident claims.
For a free consultation, call Nagle & Associates toll free at (800) 411-1583, or contact us by e-mail. We offer FREE no pressure, no obligation consultations 24/7 with a skilled Raleigh, Charlotte and Winston Salem uninsured motorist claims attorney. We aggressively defend people who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents in Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Charlotte, throughout North Carolina and nationwide.
