If you have been in a vehicle accident in Tennessee, you might need the assistance of an Tennessee personal injury lawyer.

The Volunteer State requires automotive insurance companies to offer uninsured and underinsured coverage as part of an automobile policy, but many consumers opt out of the coverage for one reason or another.

Whether consumers wish to lower their premiums or mistakenly believe that everyone else on the road also has insurance, their plan can backfire when their vehicle is hit by an uninsured motorist.

Across the U.S., approximately 13 percent of drivers are not insured. Nerdwallet says adding coverage for uninsured or underinsured motorists would cost the average car insurance policyholder anywhere from $3 to $9 per month.

An Uninsured Motorist Lawyer Can Help

If you have declined to have uninsured motorist coverage and are hit by an uninsured driver in Tennessee, you can turn to an experienced and reputable lawyer for help filing a civil lawsuit against the driver for damages.

Any time you’re in a car accident, everything seems to go in slow motion even though the accident itself only took seconds to occur. The immediate aftermath can make you feel as if you’re in a dreamlike state or disoriented even if you do not suffer a head injury.

To discover the driver who hit you has no insurance can cause you to feel overwhelmed and at a loss for what to do next. A qualified uninsured motorist lawyer can ensure you receive compensation even if the other driver lacks insurance.

The other driver may face liens on property or wage garnishment because driving without insurance is against the law. You could recover compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, damage to your vehicle and other hardships.

Complications With Underinsured Motorists at Fault

Tennessee law has minimum requirements for automotive insurance coverage. A car owner must have insurance of $25,000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 for bodily injury per car accident and $15,000 for property damage per accident.

In many cases, this minimum coverage won’t cover the full expenses of a car accident, which is why drivers are encouraged to have underinsured motorist insurance, too.

Underinsured motorist coverage picks up where the at-fault’s minimal policy left off. For instance, if you have injuries in an accident and you require a $50,000 hospital stay and the underinsured motorist was at fault, the underinsured motorist’s insurance will pay for the first $25,000 and your underinsured motorist insurance should pick up the balance up to the amount you are insured.

Remember that underinsured motorist property damage coverage pays for car repairs that the at-fault driver’s insurance doesn’t cover or doesn’t completely cover, but your deductible may apply.

Prevalence of Uninsured Drivers

According to the Insurance Information Institute, Tennessee has the fifth highest percentage of uninsured motorists in the U.S. With more than 20 percent of the people in Tennessee driving around you lacking insurance, you should be prepared to contact an car accident lawyer in Tennessee in the event of an accident.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.