Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists

Many auto accidents involve underinsured and uninsured motorists. This opens up a host of complex legal issues, and a lawyer must have extensive knowledge of insurance law to handle them effectively.

At Maynard & Harris Attorneys at Law, PLLC, we are well-known for our knowledge in insurance matters. Douglas Maynard worked as an insurance adjuster before becoming a personal injury lawyer, and is often asked to give seminars about insurance issues. Contact us to set up a free initial consultation.

North Carolina Insurance Law

North Carolina is a contributory negligence state, meaning that if you are in any way at fault for an auto accident, you cannot recover the full amount to pay for pain and suffering, medical bills, lost wages, etc. Even if you are found to be in no way at fault, you can typically collect only up to the insurance limits of the driver(s) who were liable.

But what do you do if you were hurt because of the negligence of an underinsured or uninsured motorist? People are required to have basic insurance unless they opt out, and around 7% of drivers are uninsured in North Carolina. If you are injured because of their actions, you must file an uninsured motorist claim with your own insurance company.

In addition to uninsured drivers, there are also many underinsured drivers, meaning that they do not have enough insurance to cover an accident. If a driver does not have medical payments coverage, even reasonable necessary medical bills of $500-$5000 may not be covered.

Stacking Policies Can Be the Answer

If the person to blame for the accident does not have sufficient insurance, you still have options. North Carolina does have very liberal laws about stacking insurance policies -- that is, getting compensation for all the insurance policies owned in a household. Even if the negligent driver lives with a brother, sister, aunt, or other relative, you can add all of their insurance policies together and get compensation from all of them.

Contact Us

Do not worry if you are confused by the issues surrounding underinsured and uninsured motorists. These can be complex matters, best left to a lawyer with strong understanding of insurance law. Maynard & Harris Attorneys at Law, PLLC can meet with you free of charge and walk through how the laws affect you and your auto accident. Contact us any time. We take all cases on contingency, meaning that we charge no attorneys' fees until we obtain compensation for you.

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