Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog
Charlotte Injury Lawyer Matt Arnold answers the question: “What is uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and how may it apply to my case?
You have been in an auto accident. One of your first thoughts is to reach out to your insurance provider for help and guidance on what you need to do next. Which insurance company do you call? Your own insurance company or the insurance company of the other driver involved in your accident? Auto accident attorneys can help you deal with insurance companies following an accident. In order to successfully navigate the insurance process after an accident, you need to understand the insurance coverage you have. Insurance coverage is required by North Carolina law.
North Carolina has four main types of auto insurance coverage. The state requires certain auto insurance for every driver in North Carolina, while other insurance options are optional and drivers can choose to opt into additional coverages. It is essential for drivers to know the coverage that they carry. The following are four common types of insurance that drivers in North Carolina carry.
Liability Insurance
North Carolina law requires that all drivers carry, at a minimum, $30,000 of liability coverage per person and $60,000 of liability insurance per instance. This refers to body liability insurance. Liability insurance is meant to cover injuries that happened as the result of a car accident. The amounts previously listed are the minimum amounts that drivers must carry, but drivers can choose to increase the amount of bodily liability coverage on their insurance policies.
Medical Payments
There is only one type of no-fault insurance that is available in North Carolina — medical payments coverage. This type of insurance covers the cost associated with medical expenses that arise after a car accident. Medical payments coverage is not a required type of insurance, but instead an optional one. Since this is a no-fault insurance, it does not matter who was at fault in an accident.
Uninsured Motorist
Another type of mandatory insurance for drivers in North Carolina is uninsured motorist insurance. The amount of coverage is usually the same amount of money that the bodily liability coverage is. Uninsured motorist insurance does what the name suggests — it protects you and provides insurance coverage in the event you are in an accident with another driver who does not have insurance.
Underinsured Motorist
Underinsured motorist insurance operates in a similar way to uninsured motorist coverage, but with one main difference. Underinsured motorist protection covers expenses that result from an accident with a driver who is underinsured. Accidents do not discriminate and those with high amounts of insurance and lower amounts of insurance have the same likelihood of being involved in an accident.
If you have been involved in a car accident, the personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are here to help. We know that navigating insurance claims after an accident can be difficult, and you might be cautious of when to talk to insurance companies or what to tell them. Our attorneys can help you with the questions you have and help you get the compensation you need after an accident. Contact us today for a consultation and find out what options are available to you to receive the compensation to which you are entitled. Now taking cases throughout the Charlotte region with offices in Uptown Charlotte, Mooresville and the new location under renovation in Monroe, call us at 704-370-2828 or click here for additional resources.
The skilled personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to maximizing the financial recovery and obtaining justice for every personal injury client injured by another party’s negligence. The issues our personal injury clients may be facing include, but are not limited to, slip and fall injuries, wrongful death, product liability, catastrophic injuries, dog bite claims, car and truck accident injuries, motorcycle injuries, traumatic brain injury (TBI), nursing home negligence, spinal cord injury, boating accidents, and defective medical device injury. Our personal injury attorneys understand the devastating impact such an injury can have on a person’s life, and that the effects so often go beyond physical pain and suffering. The personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to helping clients determine the strength of their claims, and to aggressively pursuing the means necessary to achieve the best possible end result for each client’s particular situation.
Source:
https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_20/GS_20-309.html
https://www.ncdoi.com/_publications/consumer%20guide%20to%20automobile%20insurance_cau1.pdf
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