You were just involved in a read-end hit. You know what to do: get the other driver’s car insurance information. Only… the driver has no insurance. Now what? Well, you have some options: sue the driver outright, file an uninsured motorist claim with your insurance company, or do nothing.

Driver Insurance Requirements in Washington

If you are required to register your vehicle in the State of Washington, you generally must be insured for minimum coverage of:

• $25,000 of bodily injury or death of one person in any one accident
• $50,000 of bodily injury or death of any two people in any one accident
• $10,000 of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident

You could bypass this requirement with alternative proof of your ability to pay for an accident. This may include self-insurance or certifying that you have $60,000 in the bank. If you do not have insurance, or fulfill an alternative requirement, you could face a fine.

Washington State Has More Uninsured Drivers Than You Might Think

Many Washington drivers do not have insurance. And unfortunately, if you are one of them, then you won’t be able to file an uninsured motorist claim. And as Washington has one of the worst rates of uninsured drivers in the nation, there is a high probability that the other driver doesn’t have insurance either. So, to protect yourself from uninsured drivers, consider having car insurance and adding uninsured and underinsured coverage to your insurance.

Protect Yourself With Coverage In Your Own Policy

Not only can car insurance protect your personal assets if you are found responsible for a car accident, but it can also protect you if the driver does not have insurance or the coverage is insufficient to cover all of your expenses. You can add special coverage to your insurance to ensure you are best protected.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Uninsured (UM) and Underinsured (UIM) motorist coverage provides you with compensation when you are injured by another driver who has an insufficient insurance policy to cover your damages. If the driver has no insurance, you would file an uninsured motorist claim with your insurance company.  If the driver’s insurance policy were insufficient, you would file an underinsured motorist claim with your insurance company.  Your insurance company would then step in the at-fault driver’s shoes for the purpose of compensating you for your injuries.

Personal Injury Protection

Personal injury protection (PIP) coverage pays for your medical expenses and lost wages incurred from your injuries in a car accident regardless of fault. So, even if you cannot file an uninsured motorist claim because you lack the coverage, you can still receive compensation for your medical expenses, up to your policy limits. PIP is very beneficial because unlike your medical insurance, PIP does not have deductibles, co-pays, or arbitrary limits on provider visits. Moreover, you can see any medical professional you choose.

The Driver Is Uninsured, Now What?

If you found that the other driver is uninsured, look to your own policy. If you have UM insurance, then file an uninsured motorist claim.  But what if you do not have UM insurance or the policy does not cover all of your damages?

If the uninsured driver was at fault for the accident, it may be worth pursuing a claim directly against the driver. You may also be able to place a hold on the uninsured driver’s license until the driver paid for your losses.

However, you may find collecting any judgment against the driver challenging. If the uninsured driver does not have a lot of assets, he could file for bankruptcy to avoid your judgment.

Contact an Experienced Uninsured Motorist Lawyer in Vancouver, WA

At Mila Boyd Law Offices, we can help you file your uninsured motorist claim. Or, we can help you with alternative means to obtain compensation. Call (360) 558-3874 today.

Nearly everyone has a social media presence nowadays. But if you have a pending personal injury claim, you should think long and hard about what you post.

As many as 69% of Americans use social media. That’s millions of accounts on Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. People often post about intimate parts of their lives. However, when you’re dealing with a personal injury claim, you could negatively impact your situation with a detrimental post.

If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligent or reckless behaviour, you deserve to have someone on your side fighting for you. Call Mila Boyd Law Offices today at 360-433-9361 to find out how we can help you.

What You Should Know About Posting About Your Health

It can be tempting to post about your well-being after an accident. Your friends and family will likely be wondering how you are doing. However, everything you post about your physical and mental health can be used against you later.

If you post that you are “doing okay” or “everything is fine,” the opposing insurance company may use that information to show that your injury is not as bad as you claim. Even a post with very little detail can provide information to the other side.

What You Should Know About Posting Your Location

Many social media websites track your location and inform others where you are posting from. This may seem innocent; however, even your location information can be used against you.

A pre-planned vacation to the beach or attendance at a festival may be used to prove that you are able to enjoy your life as you did prior to the accident. While your lawyer may be stating in your personal injury claim that your quality of life was negatively impacted, your posts including your location may be saying otherwise.

Other People May Tag You in Posts

Although you may try to avoid posting on social media during a personal injury claim, other people may tag you. Tags from friends and family may be set to public and can be hard to avoid. They may talk about you, your accident, and your location. You should ask your friends and family not to tag you, and if you notice that they do tag you, remove the tag as quickly as possible.

If they do tag you without your knowledge, let your attorney know immediately. A legal advisor can help you understand the repercussions of posts on social media.

How to Handle Social Media During a Personal Injury Claim

It’s best to avoid posting about your accident entirely. It can be difficult to remove yourself from social media, even for a brief period of time. Instead, make sure your privacy settings are as high as possible and do not accept any new friend requests.

Ask your friends and family not to tag you in posts, and remove tags from anything that is available to the public. It’s impossible to know exactly what the insurance company can view. Instead, try to avoid posting anything specific about your life or activities during a personal injury claim.

You should not avoid social media completely. In fact, you should monitor your accounts and the pages of your friends and family members. Make sure no one posts about you and your situation.

We Can Help During Your Personal Injury Claim

If you’ve sustained injuries because of someone else’s actions, consult with a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Your lawyer can review your social media accounts and help you clean things up. If you have questions about a personal injury claim, contact Mila Boyd Law Offices today at 360-433-9361.

As any car accident attorney can attest to, it is highly likely that you will be involved in a car accident at least once during your lifetime. Although car accidents occur regularly, people are often unaware of how to respond after an accident takes place. Consequently, even the most experienced drivers are prone to making critical mistakes.

Five Mistakes to Avoid

The following is a list of five important mistakes to avoid making after an accident:

1. Do Not Leave the Scene of the Accident

Under most circumstances, leaving the scene of an accident is against the law. Some states, for example, require that a driver involved in an accident provide assistance to the other driver. Additionally, your decision to leave the scene of an accident may cause the authorities to treat the accident as a hit-and-run. If you are unsure of what to do, call a car accident attorney.

Also Read: How to Recover Medical Treatment Costs? 

2. Call the Authorities

After being involved in a car accident you should always contact law enforcement so that they can document the accident. The accident report created by law enforcement will be the only record of the accident and therefore it is important that the report is complete and accurate.

Some drivers decide not to contact law enforcement after an accident and attempt to resolve the situation between themselves. Unfortunately, without contacting law enforcement, there is no way to obtain an accident report. Because insurance companies rely on these reports to assess the accident, failure to obtain this report can adversely affect the claims process.

Moreover, the other driver involved in the accident may attempt to dissuade you from calling the police. This generally occurs when the other driver is trying to avoid contact with law enforcement, such as when they have been driving without a license. In these situations, it is particularly important that you call the police. Showing, for example, that the other driver was driving without their license, will likely be helpful should you decide to take legal action.

3. Do Not Ignore Injuries

Following a car accident, it is important to assess your injuries. If you notice that you have sustained injuries, you should seek medical attention immediately. Even if the injury appears to be trivial, it is important to have a medical professional examine you, since many serious injuries may not be readily apparent.

4. Do Not Apologize

Refrain from apologizing to the other driver, especially when you are not sure who was at fault. Any apology that you offer may be misinterpreted as an admission of liability and may affect your ability recover from your insurance company or the other driver.

5. Do Not Call Your Insurance Company

Do not call your insurance company immediately following a car accident. People who have recently been in an accident are often emotional and disoriented. Instead, you should wait until you have had enough time to calm down and think through what you want to say.

Additionally, you should wait until after you have received medical treatment before contacting your insurance company. If you sustained serious injuries in the accident, you may even want to speak with a car accident attorney first. Your initial conversation with the insurance company will have a significant impact on how your claims are processed. Therefore, it is important to wait until you have as much information as possible.

Contact a Car Accident Attorney Today

If you have been in a car accident, contact the Vancouver car accident attorneys at Uptown Injury Law at (360) 558-387 for a free consultation.

Our firm is dedicated to volunteering and connecting with our community.  Mila volunteers and donates to many organizations including local dog and cat shelters, local theater, and legal resources for low-income families.  You might have last seen Mila at the Clark County Food Bank helping to package food for over 30,000 families.

Contact us at Mila Boyd Law Offices Today

Contact our experienced and knowledgeable attorneys at Mila Boyd Law Offices at (360) 558-387 for a free consultation.