Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist coverage, collectively referred to as UM Coverage, for many persons is the most important insurance to have and hardly anyone knows about it or understands what it is for. It is for when someone else hurts you and cannot pay the bills and costs they caused you.
On every insurance policy issued in Georgia there is a requirement the insurance company offer you UM coverage. This is coverage to protect you, your family you reside with, and the passengers in your vehicle when another driver injures you or your passengers do to no fault of your own and they do not have insurance or enough insurance coverage to cover your injuries, bills, or lost work wages. To increase this coverage beyond the state mandatory minimum of $25,000 can be just a few dollars a month.
Client Example: Recently, Andrew had a real case example of the different outcomes for clients with quality UM coverage and the possible results for a client without quality UM coverage.
Andrew’s client, we will call him John G., was riding a dirt bike through his neighborhood when a large SUV turned left without yielding in front of him. John G. struck the side of the SUV, was thrown from his motorcycle, and shattered both of his knees. John G. was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital. There John G. had multiple surgeries and amassed a $140,000 medical bill.
John G. retained Andrew. John G.’s biggest problem was the SUV only had $50,000 in liability coverage, which is better than most insurance policies and double the state minimum of $25,000. John G. owed a $140,000 to his doctor’s, had no health insurance, and only knew of one insurance company to contact, the at fault SUV’s insurance company.
John G. retained Andrew and Andrew quickly identified that John G. resided with his Grandmother, in Under Insured Motorist law she is a “resident relative”, and she had two separate underinsured motorist policies, one from State Farm Insurance for $50,000 and one from All-State Insurance for $25,000. Because John G. was living with his grandmother at the time of his injury he was given legal standing under the policies to recover, even thought he was not listed on them anywhere.
Because of John G.’s grandmother’s insurance choices prior to the wreck her grandson’s potential recovery went from $50,000 to to potentially $125,000. This is why anyone reading this should stop, contact your insurance company, and increase your UM coverage now!
Without having the UM coverage, John G.’s entire recovery may have been turned over to the hospital, doctors. and legal fees. In John G’s case all three insurance policies turned over their limits.
Andrew himself believes there is no more important insurance to have and to share a bit of personal information Andrew’s UM limits are $500,000.
