Authored by Mason Rashtian
Why You Need Uninsured Motorist Coverage?
Experienced Accident and Personal Injury Attorney Serving Santa Clarita, Valencia, Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus, Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Val Verde, and All of Los Angeles County
California drivers are required to carry automobile insurance. So, should you carry Uninsured Motorist coverage on your auto policy? YES.
Here is the reason why, as explained by a Santa Clarita Valley Personal Injury Attorney Mason Rashtian:
Imagine a beautiful summer day. It’s Saturday, and you are going to meet a friend for lunch. You are traveling on The Old Road in Santa Clarita, and when you reach the intersection of The Old Road and Valencia, you stop behind a row of car for a red light. Then suddenly, a careless driver crashed into the back of your car.
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You are not happy because your day, in fact your weekend, is ruined. However, you keep clam and exchange the requisite information with the other driver, including insurance information.
Unfortunately, your car is not drivable. So, you call AAA to have your car towed to a storage facility, and your brother picks up. Needless to say, lunch is out!
Before going to bed later that evening, you take 2 Ibuprofens (Motrin) because you feel a bit off. You hope that sleeping will take care of it and in the morning, you will be fine!
However, when you wake up the next morning, you can barely move your neck, you have a pounding headache, you feel nauseated, and your car is in the tow yard.
You call your brother (again) and ask him to take you to Urgent Care. After a two-hour wait, you are seen by a doctor and are diagnosed with whiplash.
The doctor prescribes you 800 ml anti-inflammatory medication, muscle relaxers, tells you to ice your neck, and advices you to see your primary care physician, or a chiropractor.
Now, it’s Monday morning and you need to set up repairs for your car, get a rental car, and set up treatment for your injuries. So, you call the at-fault driver’s insurance company, as shown in his insurance card.
However, to your horror, you discover that the at-fault party’s insurance lapsed 2 months ago and he was carried an invalid insurance card. This means that the driver who smashed into you on Saturday and caused your injuries and all the aggravation that went with it has NO INSURANCE.
You are mad beyond belief. You did nothing wrong. You didn’t cause the car accident. You didn’t ask to be crashed into from behind. You didn’t ask to be injured. Yet, you are the one who has no car, no rental, and is suffering from whiplash!
This is why you need Uninsured Motorist coverage!
What happens now since the at-fault driver has no insurance?
Under this scenario, if you have proper insurance coverage, including collision and uninsured motorist coverage, you are protected.
Advice: Never purchase insurance online. Always go through a reputable insurance agent because they can explain to you the benefits of each coverage:
1. Here is how “collision coverage” works:
If you elected to carry collision coverage on your own automobile policy, then you can get your car repaired through your own automobile insurance policy.
If you elected to carry rental coverage on your own automobile policy, then you can also get a rental car until your car is repaired
However, if you declined collision coverage because you believed that other drivers carried insurance, you will have to pay out of your own pocket for the repairs.
Similarly, if you declined rental coverage, you now have to pay for your own rental until your car is repaired.
2. Here is how “Uninsured Motorist coverage” works:
Medical bills
Happily, you have health insurance. But, you have not met your deductible. So, you get a bill from Urgent Care, which you are personally responsible to pay.
Unfortunately, Urgent Care doesn’t provide treatment. They only check you out and prescribe medication. So, you still need treatment, which you will personally be responsible for.
If you have Uninsured Motorist coverage, your automobile insurance company will now “steps into the shoes” of the other side and protect you.
This means that your auto policy could and would pay for your Urgent Care visit and your treatment.
Pain and suffering
Under the law, you are entitled to seek compensation for physical pain, mental anguish, inconvenience, anxiety, loss of enjoyment of life, physical impairment, etc.
You are experiencing physical pain from your whiplash injury in the form of headaches and neck pain. You also suffered mental anguish because you keep reliving the accident in your mind, and are now anxious to drive.
Additionally, you were inconvenienced for having to go to Urgent Care, taking care of your car, getting a rental, and having to take time off to go to chiropractic treatments.
Finally, you had trouble sleeping at nights because of your neck stiffness and your daily activities were restricted.
These are all part of your pain and suffering. If you carry Uninsured Motorist coverage on your auto policy, your insurance company “steps into the shoes” of the other side and be responsible for compensating you for your pain and suffering!
Loss of Income
Because of your injuries, your doctor placed you off work for a week, which means you lost income. If you have Uninsured Motorist coverage, this will part of the claim which will be submitted to your insurance for recovery.
It is crucial to note that if you do not carry Uninsured Motorist Coverage on your own auto policy, you would be responsible for your own medical bills, and would not be able to recover pain and suffering, and your lost income.
Underinsured Motorist
Uninsured Motorist coverage can also help you in case the at-fault party has insurance but not enough insurance to cover your medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost income.
Hit-and-Run Accidents
Uninsured Motorist coverage can also help cases of hit-and-run. However, those topics will be addressed in separate articles, as certain criteria have to be met.
Regardless of insurance status, you should always seek consultation with a personal injury attorney (accident lawyer).
Injured as a Passenger
Depending on your Uninsured Motorist policy, it may also cover you if you are injured as a passenger in someone else’s vehicle, but only if that person is not a family member residing with you.
Additionally, your Uninsured Motorist policy may also cover you if you are struck and injured, as a pedestrian, by an uninsured driver.
Conclusion
So, whether you live in any part of the Santa Clarita Valley, such as Valencia, Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus, Stevenson Ranch, Castaic or Val Verde, the San Fernando Valley, or anywhere else in the Los Angeles County area, if you get into a car accident with a motorist who is not insured, and you do not have uninsured motorist coverage, you will be out in the cold!
The Right Attorney For Your Case
The Mason Law Firm is managed by attorney Mason Rashtian. Before he represented injured parties, Mason worked for prestigious firms as an insurance defense attorney.
This means that the insurance company would hire him (as the attorney) to represent drivers who were at fault for car and vehicle accidents. For almost a decade, he worked closely with drivers, doctors, experts and insurance companies in defending auto accident cases. He knows how defense attorneys and insurance companies think and knows how they work.
That experience as a defense lawyer makes Mr. Rashtian an even more effective plaintiff lawyer. He has litigated thousands of car accident cases since 2006.
So, when we represent a client, we use his vast knowledge as an experienced personal injury attorney and his training as a former insurance defense attorney to serve the interests of our clients.
Recognition as a Top Personal Injury Attorney in Santa Clarita
Mason’s commitment to excellence has earned him recognition from some of the most respected legal organizations in the country:
- Super Lawyers — Selected as a Super Lawyer by peers and through independent research
- National Association of Distinguished Counsel — Member, Nation’s Top One Percent
- AV® Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell — The highest possible rating for legal ability and ethical standards, awarded by fellow attorneys and judges
- The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 — Recognized as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the nation
- Ultimate Male Lawyer — Voted by the Readers of Elite Magazine
You may find helpful information on our area-specific pages:
- Valencia Car Accident Lawyer: https://www.mrscvlaw.com/valencia-personal-injury-lawyer/
- Newhall Car Accident Lawyer: https://www.mrscvlaw.com/newhall-personal-injury-lawyer/
- Saugus Car Accident Lawyer: https://www.mrscvlaw.com/saugus-personal-injury-lawyer/
- Canyon Country Car Accident Lawyer: https://www.mrscvlaw.com/canyon-county-personal-injury-attorney/
We offer free consultations and work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we win your case.
📞 Call 661-270-5677 for a free consultation.
“We Meet Our Clients by Accident!”
“We Put Personal in Personal Injury Law.”
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