While all states have their share of drivers who intentionally don’t insure their vehicles or who accidentally or unknowingly let their auto insurance lapse, Texas, in particular, has a problem with having a lot of uninsured drivers, which is why we recommend purchasing uninsured/underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage, an optional “add-on” for automobile insurance policies in Texas like most states.
If you were hit by an uninsured driver and you had uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, your UIM coverage would pay for the damage to your vehicle and your medical bills assuming you can’t collect from the at-fault driver. But what if you were on foot at the time of the accident? What if you were walking through a crosswalk or in a parking lot and an uninsured driver struck you? Would your UIM coverage pay for your medical bills?
Pedestrians: Are They Protected?
Let’s say you’re crossing the street in a crosswalk on a green light and a distracted driver drives straight into you. You’re hurt really bad and an ambulance has to take you to the hospital right away to treat your broken bones, road rash, and head injuries. You find out the at-fault driver was texting at the time of the crash, and they let their auto insurance expire two months before the accident.
Sure, you have your own medical insurance, but you have a $5,000 annual deductible. It hardly seems fair for you to pay all of your medical bills out-of-pocket until the deductible is met. Is there a way you can file a claim against your own auto insurance policy?
We have good news for you: If you elected to buy UIM coverage, depending on the insurance company and policy, pedestrian injuries may be covered.
“Pedestrian coverage is a compelling reason to get this relatively cheap car insurance coverage even if you aren’t required by law to carry it. Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that about 64,000 pedestrians are injured by vehicles in the U.S. every year. Any impact with a moving vehicle is likely to result in a serious accident, so it’s not surprising that about 5,000 pedestrians die as a result of those encounters each year,” according to einsurance.com.
Hit by an uninsured or underinsured motorist? Contact our firm at once to schedule an initial consultation.