While most states require minimum liability insurance to cover the other driver, one in eight drivers doesn’t have coverage. If you get into an accident with an uninsured/underinsured driver in Lawton, Oklahoma, it helps to know what to do.
Steps to take
Oklahoma requires you to report an accident with injuries (even minor injuries), fatalities, or property damage with a value of more than $300. Only call 9-1-1 for accidents with serious or life-threatening injuries and call the non-emergency number for noninjury accidents. Injured parties should seek immediate medical attention, regardless of how they feel, because symptoms often lie dormant.
Some uninsured or underinsured drivers may try to play with your emotions and offer you money. No matter how much they plead for you not to report the accident, don’t accept cash.
Get their name, contact information, license plate number, make and model of their vehicle, and the insurance provider’s name from underinsured drivers. If the accident is a hit-and-run, try to find witnesses who may be able to identify the driver’s vehicle.
Filing a claim and litigation
If you have uninsured/underinsured motorist protection, you may file a claim with your provider up to policy limits. For underinsured collisions, you may also file a claim with their provider who should pay up to the limits. However, their policy limits may not be enough to cover your damages, so you’d need to sue them.
In the case of uninsured drivers, this may get complicated, since they likely have few assets. Sometimes, these situations lead to hit-and-run drivers, but there is no policy to cover this. You may still get some aspects of the accident covered, such as vehicle damage, if you have collision insurance.
Ensure you get photos of the damage, any injuries, and take note of traffic conditions or hazards. Even if you don’t have uninsured motorist protection, you can sue at-fault uninsured drivers.