Car accidents can cause a lot of damage and it’s not just the physical damage to your car or injuries to yourself and your passengers that victims are left to deal with. The financial burden of recovering from a collision can be just as devastating and it can make a significant impact on your life and your future.
Car repairs are not cheap and often the damage from even a minor car accident can set a driver back thousands of dollars. Add hospital bills and ongoing medical care in the event of an injury and an accident victim could be facing piles of unexpected bills.
One way to compensate for the unknown is insurance coverage which offers a measure of protection and financial security for the unexpected, especially auto insurance. When you are involved in a car accident caused by another driver’s negligence or fault, you rely on your insurance coverage and the insurance coverage of the at-fault driver to cover the costs of the damage and the potential medical or healthcare costs you may have incurred.
State Laws for Uninsured Motorists
Colorado uses an “at-fault” system, or tort system, in which the person who caused the accident is held financially and legally responsible. This responsibility includes paying for the victim’s medical expenses, vehicle damage and associated costs, as well as any financial repercussions due to lost wages, pain and suffering or other complications.
If the at-fault driver is insured, payments are usually negotiated between the insurance companies. But when an at-fault driver does not have insurance, or has too little to cover the damages, a victim can turn to uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage for help.
Drivers who have uninsured motorist coverage included in their insurance policies can receive payments and financial support when they are involved in an accident with a driver who does not have insurance. However, the benefits of these uninsured motorist insurance policies can sometimes be extended to drivers who do not have the coverage included in their policies, as long as their insurance company cannot prove that the driver turned down or rejected the coverage.
Rejection forms are included in policies that do not provide uninsured motorist coverage, but unless this document is signed and retained, a driver may have some leeway in seeking damages after an accident. In such circumstances, an injured driver may also be able to file a first-party claim, which is a liability claim filed against the driver’s own insurance policy.
Contact Us
At Levine Law, a Denver personal injury law firm, our attorneys represent drivers who have been injured or suffered damages to their vehicles as a result of someone else’s negligence. We also help car accident victims seek uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage after an accident involving an uninsured driver. To discuss your case and the options available to you in Colorado, contact one of our auto accident attorneys today.
