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Car Accident Claims When An At-Fault Driver Has No Insurance

Our Boston uninsured motorist lawyers at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone know that many car accident victims incur significant monetary losses and that this damage should be covered by the at-fault motorist or other responsible party.

The costs of an accident are usually paid not by the driver personally, but by the at-fault driver’s car insurance.  In fact, the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association reports private insurance companies pay around 50 percent of all costs associated with motor vehicle crashes. Sometimes, however, the driver who caused the crash doesn’t have the insurance coverage the law requires. If you have been in an accident and the at-fault driver has no insurance, there are three primary options available to you.

Option 1: Make a Claim With Your Own Insurer if the At-Fault Driver Has No Insurance

Drivers in Massachusetts have to buy $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident uninsured motorist coverage.  These are the same minimums required for bodily injury liability policies.  The purpose of requiring uninsured motorist coverage is to make sure no one is left financially ruined if an at-fault driver causes a collision with no insurance.

This is typically the best choice for most individuals harmed by an at-fault driver lacking auto insurance. In such cases, you are filing a claim against your own insurance carrier and should not expect that company to be looking out for your best interests. Consulting an experienced Boston car accident attorney is the best course of action.

Option 2: Determine if Someone Else Was to Blame

In some cases, more than one person is responsible for an accident. If there was another driver who contributed to causing the wreck, or if there was a defect in the road or in the vehicle, then your attorney may be able to take legal action against someone other than the uninsured driver.

The ability to find a third party besides the at-fault driver with no insurance is going to vary depending upon the situation.

Option 3: Make a Claim Against the Driver Personally

A injured victim through their attorney can file a lawsuit and sue the driver personally if the motorist caused a crash. When the jury decides the case and awards damages, or if the defendant decides to settle, then the injured victim will recover the money directly from the defendant.

This is a viable option if the at-fault driver has significant assets. But it's a much trickier proposition if the at-fault driver has little. While you could win in court, the old saying that you can’t get blood from a stone is applicable here: Simply put, you can’t make someone pay money they don't have. You could try to get liens placed on the driver’s property or garnish their wages if a court decides they have to pay your claim, but it might take a long time to collect what is owed.

If you are hurt in a collision and the at-fault driver has no insurance, you still have options for getting car accident compensation. Call 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 to schedule a free consultation with a car accident lawyer at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone

Catastrophic Injury Cases: What to Do If Insurance Isn't Enough

If you or a loved one suffered a catastrophic injury and there is no insurance or not enough to cover your losses, our attorneys can help. Many accident attorneys will not take these cases, but we will. The Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone will fight aggressively for you.

The Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone knows how bills can quickly skyrocket after a catastrophic injury. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person with a spinal cord injury has an average medical cost to pay that totals between $15,000 and $30,000 each year. Depending upon the severity of the spinal cord injury and the age at the time when the injury happens, the CDC estimates that you could spend anywhere from $500,000 to $3 million on medical care and adaptive devices for spinal cord injuries in a lifetime.

Spinal cord injuries aren't the only very expensive injuries either.  A traumatic brain injury, severe back injuries and a host of other medical problems can require ongoing and costly treatment and, in many cases, can make work impossible. The high costs of severe injuries make it very important for accident victims to take legal action with the help of personal injury lawyers in Boston if someone else is responsible for causing injury. Unfortunately, however, there may be situations where injuries are so costly that the insurance of the person responsible for the injury doesn't cover the full extent of the losses.

What to Do If Insurance Isn't Enough in Catastrophic Injury Cases

Many types of catastrophic injury happen in car accidents or as a result of other situations where someone's negligent or wrongful behavior is the direct cause of harm. The CDC, for example, estimates that motor vehicle accidents cause as many as 46 percent of spinal cord injuries.

If the catastrophic injury happens because of another person's negligence and that individual has insufficient insurance (or assets) to cover losses, the first step is to find other financial sources that can be secured on our behalf. The Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone has years of experience helping people facing such crises. The attorneys are well versed in locating and securing payments from governmental agencies, a wide variety of responsible and sometimes unknown liable parties, available but unknown asset holders, and unknown but available insurance coverages or benefits.

Our aggressive attorneys will leave no stone unturned in an investigation when there is no insurance or not enough to cover the losses. If necessary, we will file a lawsuit on your behalf. We won’t give up on you. We will look for all sources of compensation to hold the negligent party accountable.

There never is a charge to call and inquire about such potential recoveries from The Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone. We work on a contingent fee basis, which means that you pay nothing unless we recover money for you.

Personal injury lawyers in Boston can help you get the coverage you need after an accident causes catastrophic injury. Call 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone.