If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident and the at-fault party is uninsured or has a policy with very low limits, and you have Uninsured/Underinsured (UM/UIM) coverage, you will be able to start a claim with your own insurer.
(UM/UIM) motorist coverage is a type of insurance that you can purchase when you buy insurance coverage for your own vehicle. If you purchase it, your own insurer will help pay for your damages and injuries up to the limits of your policy in the event that the driver who caused the accident doesn’t have any insurance or does not have enough coverage.
UM/UIM coverage also helps you in other situations, such as:
Utilizing UM/UIM coverage is often critical to obtaining fair compensation. In Ohio, the state minimum insurance coverage necessitated by law is $25,000.00 per person, per accident. This is an extremely low limit. Given this low limit, it is prudent to carry UM/UIM coverage, so that you are not left injured with no way to pay your expenses after an accident.
Once you proceed to make a UM/UIM claim, your own insurer will view you like any other claimant, since you are now attempting to obtain compensation from them, which all insurance companies try to prevent, or at least minimize. Any perceived loyalty by your own insurer does not exist at that point. Keep this in mind as you proceed with all conversations and interactions from that point forward with all insurance companies, including your own insurer.