In 2018 it was estimated that about 600,000 Oklahoma drivers had no auto insurance. Uninsured Motorist coverage (UM) is some of the cheapest coverage you can carry on your vehicle.
In 2016 Oklahoma was deemed No. 1 in the nation for having the highest percentage of uninsured drivers — as one out of every four motorists in Oklahoma drove without insurance.
Yet day after day we meet collision victims with no uninsured motorist coverage. Many believe they have uninsured motorist coverage. They do not realize that "full coverage" under Oklahoma law does not require you to have uninsured motorist coverage — it only requires that it be offered to you. Most times at the encouragement of their insurance agent they waive the coverage without even understanding the magnitude of risk they are accepting.
When an insurance agent sells you "full coverage" he or she is selling you only the coverage required by law. The law requires a driver to carry at least $25,000 in liability coverage. Liability coverage pays the other party if you cause a motor vehicle collision.
Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage pays for your injuries, lost wages and damages when the collision is not your fault and the driver causing the collision has no insurance or not enough insurance to compensate you for your damages.
Many times people assume they are not responsible for the medical bills and damage to their car because they did not cause the wreck and they start to get a great deal of medical care. Later they find out the negligent driver does not have enough insurance coverage to pay for the bills. Whatever is not covered by the negligent driver's insurance is your responsibility regardless of who caused the wreck.
Consider this scenario: You are driving down the road when a driver coming from the opposite direction crosses the center line and hits your vehicle, destroying your car and causing serious injuries to you. You find out the other driver had no insurance and does not own anything of value. If you only have liability coverage on your policy, you will not be able to recover any money for your injuries from any insurance carrier. You can file a lawsuit and get a jury verdict against the other driver but if they have no assets and no insurance there will likely not be a source of money to pay you.
Another common scenario is a client with high liability limits but very low or no UM coverage. One recent case involved a client with $300,000 coverage for anybody they might hurt (liability coverage) but only $25,000 in UM. The client was in a motor vehicle wreck caused by the other driver, who had only $25,000 in liability coverage. The client needed back surgery. The total amount of insurance coverage for the wreck was $25,000 from the negligent driver and $25,000 for UM — equaling $50,000. This is not even enough to pay for medical bills and certainly not enough to compensate the client.
Zurawik Law Firm recommends you carry at least $100,000 in liability and UM coverage on each vehicle you own under separate policies for each vehicle.
In certain cases depending on the actions of your UM insurance company or the negligent driver's insurance coverage you may be able to recover more than the total insurance amount. This usually occurs when you offer to settle the case for the policy limits of the insurance policies but the insurance companies refuse to settle, then the jury awards more than the policies.
If you have been in a wreck that was not your fault or you were a passenger in either vehicle in a wreck, call Zurawik Law and set an appointment to get an assessment of the available insurance coverage. You must act quickly.
Remember at Zurawik Law — "We Put People First" — not corporations or insurance companies.