Uninsured Car Accident Laws in Massachusetts
Car accidents are a very frightening and trying time. Ranging from a little fender bender to a major collision, they can do severe damage to your vehicle and in some cases, you and your passengers. Most of the times you’re covered by the other person’s insurance if it is deemed their fault the collision happened. However, what do you do if you’re in an accident in the state of Massachusetts and the other driver is not insured? Do you have any recourse or is your insurance responsible for it? A qualified car accident lawyer can help guide you through any legal issues as well as answer any questions. Here are the laws about driving in Massachusetts and what you can expect if you an accident with an uninsured motorist.
What is The Law?
First, the law in the state of Massachusetts is that every driver on the road is supposed to have some type of liability insurance coverage on their vehicle. This is required not only by Massachusetts but also most every other state in the country. Before getting on the road, drivers should have a policy for coverage on their vehicle to be able to drive.
While it is the law, it is not always followed. If people are going through tough times financially, they may try to cut that expense out not realizing the legal repercussions that could be facing them down the road.
What Happens in the Case of an Accident?
Consider this. You are driving to work or from work or play and you’re involved in an accident. Most times you think that the other driver’s insurance will cover it because they ran into you or they pulled out in front of you, etc. What if you get out of the vehicle or discuss later that this driver has no insurance at all? What then?
Well in most states and cases, you can then sue the driver personally for damage to your vehicle, loss of wages, and medical expenses that you required after the accident. You can take them to civil court and try to collect fees from them in the case of no insurance coverage at all. For an uninsured motorist, this means they could lose their home, car, any type of savings they have, or other assets in their possession to pay for the civil suit.
While this is a possible step, you must consider the fact that the person you’re going to take to court cannot pay the fines or judgement against them. They simply don’t have any assets or finances to be recovered. You may be going through this procedure and may still end up having to foot the bill yourself. There may not be anything that can be done.
One way to protect yourself from this happening is to consider adding uninsured motorist insurance policies to your coverage. That can help you to have an extra cushion should you be in an unfortunate accident.
Call a car accident attorney in Massachusetts if you’ve been involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist. They can assist you in making sure you receive the payment you deserve and help you to get through a trying time.