The person that hit me doesn’t have auto insurance. What do I do?

Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage pays for property damage or injuries caused by another driver with no insurance.

First, check if you have UM coverage on your insurance plan. If you don’t you should get it. I offer a free book, Straight Talk on Buying Washington Auto Insurance which covers what to look for when buying insurance. If you don’t have UM coverage, then you will have no financial recourse to collect from your insurance company to pay for you medical bills or repair costs. It is also very unlikely that the driver who didn’t have insurance will have financial assets that are worth trying to collect.

Second, if you are ever in an accident, even with an uninsured driver, be sure to collect that driver’s information. This information may prove to be invaluable to tracking down all possible sources of insurance.

Third, be sure to consult an attorney If you do have UM coverage then your own insurance company is allowed to use against you every legal defense the other driver would have had before covering any costs. This means that your insurance carrier will fight against you just as hard as if they were the driver that caused your damage. Even your own insurance company is not your friend when you are making a UM Claim.