Accidents on the road are far too common, especially among truck drivers. Given the type of vehicle they’re driving and the cargo they’re hauling, you can see why accidents happen frequently.
Given the amount of accidents that occur, you would think the drivers would have proper insurance coverage. While that’s certainly the case most of the time, there are exceptions. If the at fault truck driver doesn’t have insurance or they’re underinsured, you’ll be in a tough spot. Regardless, here’s what to do if you ever find yourself in this situation.
Find Out if Other People Are at Fault in the Accident
There’s rarely ever a single person that causes an accident of this scale. Therefore, if one person does not have proper insurance, then you can try and determine if the other individual does. If the third person responsible for the crash does have insurance, you can file a complaint with their insurance provider. If the complaint goes through and there is probable cause, then the insurance provider will be willing to pay a portion of the damages.
Now the percentage that you could receive varies between states and even cities. States like Georgia allot compensation depending on the percentage of blame that the party shares according to Georgia Code 51-12-33. So if they’re partially responsible for the accident, they’ll be liable to pay for a portion of your repairs and bills. But if they find that the accused party does not share any blame, you’ll have to cover the costs on your own.
Make Use of Your Uninsured Motorist Coverage
Getting into an accident with another truck can be quite dangerous and even life-threatening. If the driver doesn’t have adequate insurance but you have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage then this will cover the damages for you.
The coverage you can get from the policy is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. Fortunately, you might already have uninsured motorist coverage, depending on your provider. While it is certainly optional, it’s already part of your regular coverage. The only way that you cannot have it is if you voluntarily removed it from your coverage. Otherwise, your claim for the truck insurance will certainly go through.
However, this money might not even be enough to pay for a fraction of the damages. Truck accidents can be quite expensive since they are massive, and their cargo usually tips over. Hence, it’s safe to assume that you still have plenty more to pay in damages. The only silver lining here is that these claims do not prevent you from sending a claim to the responsible party’s insurance provider. If they don’t have enough insurance, you might still be able to get some compensation from their insurance provider.
Summing Up
If you wish to learn more about uninsured driver compensation, then you can talk to your provider. They will be able to give you more information on the state of your coverage and if you are at least somewhat covered in these incidents.
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