Yesterday’s tragic story about the driver in Dallas that crashed into a car, killed a young man and severely injured another woman, then took off on foot raised the question about the rights people have if there is no automobile liability insurance for the at-fault driver.
We are contacted all the time by folks that have been involved in car accidents but the driver responsible for causing the wreck doesn’t appear to have any car insurance. When we are faced with this situation, we first make sure that it is true that there is actually no liability insurance in place. Sometimes, the driver doesn’t have the insurance card in their car and they get a ticket for no insurance, but in reality they actually do have insurance. In those situations, we contact the other driver directly. Sometimes we have to actually sue them to get them to cooperate, but lots of times we are able to obtain the information directly from the other driver. Also, we can check to see if they were able to get the “no insurance” ticket dismissed by showing proof of insurance.
We also make sure that the other driver was not involved in an “on the job” accident because if they were, then their employer will probably have insurance that can cover the accident. If they responsible driver was driving some sort of commercial vehicle, it certainly increases the chance that they were “on the job.”
Another thing we look into is whether our client has uninsured motorist coverage on their own automobile insurance policy. It’s coverage you buy on your own to protect yourself. Most folks have to check their own policy to make sure they have it. All Texas insurance companies must offer it to you and if you reject it, it has to be in writing. If your insurance company cannot prove that you rejected it, then you automatically have it. If you have it, that is a claim that you definitely want to make. There is nothing wrong with making a claim against your own insurance carrier. That’s why you bought the insurance in the first place! You bought it to protect yourself in case these other drivers out there, and there’s approximately 25% of the drivers here in Texas that don’t even have any liability insurance at all.
So if the other driver doesn’t appear to have insurance, you must dig a little deeper to make sure that there is not any other insurance which can pay for your medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.
I have more than 30 years experience handing all types of car and truck accident cases. I know how to find every possible source of recovery to make sure you get the money you deserve. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, call my office today at 817-885-8000 to learn how I can help you.