As a car owner or a driver, your car might get involved in an accident someday. Both insured and uninsured drivers are on the road, so you may get hit by one of them. But what will you do if your car accident is with an uninsured driver? The first thing is to stay cool, collected, calm, and also avoid panicking. There are easy ways that the situation can be handled. Here is some helpful information about what to do if you’re hit by an uninsured driver at fault.
Whenever a driver without insurance hits you, then you should try as much as possible to virtually handle the situation like you would other normal/regular car accidents. Move your vehicle far from the scene of the accident to a safer place, at least about 100ft away, if possible. The next thing for you to do is to activate the emergency flashers of the car and also check to see if there are injuries. If there is an injured person, provide him/her with first aid, and then call 911. They will report the situation to the authorities.
When you know that you have reported the accident properly and have also verified the safety of everyone, ask the uninsured driver to give you information. Make sure that the contact information of both you and the second driver are taken by, at least, one police officer. The officer will add it to the report of the accident. If the driver wants to pay you with aim of covering the accident’s cost, never try to accept it, no matter the method of payment.
Snap the damages on your car that were caused by the accident. If you know some witnesses, get their contact information.
Make sure to notify your insurance company about the incident. At this time, you can share the other driver’s contact information with your insurance company. You should also give them information about the police that arrived on the scene at your accident and the police report number.
Different states have their own way of handling accidents with drivers that are not insured. There are no-fault laws in 11 states, including Puerto Rico, and they order that the damages should be shared between the whole involved parties, regardless of the person/driver at fault. Here are the states:
- Hawaii
- Minnesota
- Pennsylvania
- North Dakota
- Florida
- Kentucky
- New York
- Michigan
- Utah
- New Jersey
- Massachusetts
If there are no no-fault laws in a state, then you do not have the right to sue the second driver to court after the accident, unless the incident caused excessive medical bills or significant damages. However, the insurance provider of your car should, at least, pay some part of any damages, even if there is no insurance coverage on the second driver.
The fort law is followed in other states. Under this law, any driver that causes the accident will pay the whole bill of the damages. If an uninsured driver hits you in a tort-law state, and it is confirmed that the driver without insurance is the cause of the accident, no one will hold you responsible for any damages. You are also free to sue the driver at fault. But if your insurance includes uninsured motorist or under-insured coverage, the damages will be paid for by your insurer.
Get Your Car Into an Auto Body Shop Immediately
In no circumstances should you drive a severely damaged car. Whether an uninsured or an insured driver hits you, you should waste no time in fixing your car.
Even if your vehicle cannot move after the incident, you can tow it to a qualified Auto Body Shop in New York. It will help your vehicle to come back to life.
If there are damages on the exterior of your car, we have experts at our New York body shop that can come to your aid. If you are staying around New York and you need to fix your exterior after an accident or you want to get Brooklyn auto insurance, then just give us a call.
Insurance Claims Assistance
Let’s say that you decided not to have that minor front bumper damage repaired to save a few bucks, and the absorbers and/or bumper bar were weakened without your knowledge. Later, you’re involved in another front-end accident, resulting in serious damage to the engine compartment. An insurance adjuster could potentially inspect the vehicle and notice the old bumper damage. They may then determine that the previous damage structurally compromised the bumper’s integrity, allowing the force of the most recent crash to cause more-extensive and “unnecessary” repairs. In a worst-case scenario, your insurance company has the right to decline your claim altogether, and then you’ll be forced to pay out-of-pocket for all the repairs.
Has your car been in a collision or minor fender bender? If your vehicle has received body, frame or paint damage, call Auto Group Collision at (718) 449-4616 and see how we can help! Contact us now to for a FREE ESTIMATE!
Auto Group Collision is Brooklyn’s Body Shop Experts
Since 2004 Auto Group Collision has been providing the people of Brooklyn and surrounding areas with the highest quality of collision repair and auto body repair service. We established a trusted collision center that takes customer from the initial estimate to the completion of repair to getting you back into your car and in the driver’s seat while working closely with your insurance company.
Dealing with an automobile collision is traumatic enough without having to worry about filing insurance claims. We know that each insurance company has its own procedures, and we’re here to assist you with the insurance company transactions. We provide the information they require regarding the collision repairs, as we guide you through the entire process of dealing with all the paperwork.
We accept all insurance estimates and work with all insurance companies. Auto Body Collision wants you to be a satisfied policy holder, so we’ve established relationships with all the region’s major insurance companies. Working directly with your insurance company, we’re able to start repairs immediately while also often helping speed up the insurance adjuster’s inspection and approval.
As soon as the work is approved, the parts are ordered. To expedite the work, when parts are received they are put into a bin, which only holds parts for one particular job. This type of care and orderliness insures your vehicle is repaired using only authorized parts.
Auto Body Collision works with your insurance company, estimating damage, handling your claim, and negotiating with the insurance company to make sure your repairs are done properly and swiftly.
Has your car been in a collision or minor fender bender? If your vehicle has received body damage, frame or paint damage, call Auto Group Collision at (718) 449-4616 and see how we can help! Contact us now to for a FREE ESTIMATE!