“Please don’t hit me…My insurance sucks.”

I saw this bumper sticker the other day while I was driving. At first glance it appears to be humorous, but living here in Florida, this message is anything but funny.

I could quote study after study that says that nearly 25%of all drivers in Florida have NO insurance coverage. Of the remaining 75% who do have coverage, many of those people do not have any insurance coverage to cover injuries caused to someone else!

I have unfortunately met and spoken with clients and families whose lives have been turned upside down by automobile accidents. Many times these clients have incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses and suffered catastrophic injuries, sometimes even death because of an accident that was someone else’s fault. And I have unfortunately had to tell them that the driver who caused the accident did not have any insurance coverage. These people are left with option of suing someone individually or oftentimes filing bankruptcy.

What Can I Do to Prevent This Type of Situation?

People ask me this all the time.Thankfully, the answer is pretty simple. I encourage all of my clients, friends, and family to purchase uninsured motorist coverage from their own insurance company. This type of insurance coverage will pay you for your injuries if that at-fault driver has little or no insurance to cover your injuries.

Unfortunately, I have been told that insurance companies try to talk people out of buying this type of coverage. Maybe they do it because they lose money on this type of coverage? People have told me that their insurance company will say, “If you have health insurance you don’t need uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.” This is SIMPLY NOT TRUE!!! Even if you have health insurance, an injury by an uninsured driver can still leave you with co-pays, lost wages, and no compensation for your pain and suffering.

I KNOW THAT UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE COSTS A LITTLE MORE MONEY, but I encourage everyone to purchase as much uninsured motorist coverage as you can afford. I hope that you ultimately won’t need it, but if you are ever in a situation where you are seriously injured and the at-fault party does not have any coverage, you will be glad you did!

If you have any questions, please call us at (888) 783-8378. The Ruth Law Team is here for you.