Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Attorney in Lafayette, LA

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Overview

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) Coverage Basics

Louisiana law requires drivers to carry a minimum amount of insurance liability coverage on every motor vehicle they own. The current minimums are set at $10,000 for liability coverage; $20,000 for medical coverage; and $10,000 for property damage. Unfortunately, these minimum amounts are rarely enough to cover the property damage, wage losses and medical expenses of seriously injured accident victims.

The good news is that Louisiana law also requires insurance companies to offer drivers uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which can pay you benefits if your car is hit by a driver who has no insurance or too little insurance to pay for the full amount of your injuries and other losses. In fact, unless you opt out by refusing this coverage in writing, it will be included in your policy.

If I Paid for the Coverage, Why Do I Need an Attorney?

There are two big reasons to consider hiring a lawyer for a UM/UIM claim. First, UM/UIM policies are often written in language that makes it difficult to know what your rights and obligations are, or the steps you have to follow to obtain benefits should you ever need to make a claim. In other words, it is easy for policyholders to get taken advantage of or make mistakes that could cost them their right to receive benefits. The second reason is that insurance company adjusters aren’t always the fairest or easiest people to deal with, particularly when they know they’re dealing with someone who doesn’t have a lawyer.

At the law office of Chris Villemarette, we are committed to taking care of our injured clients and to making the recovery process following an accident as stress free as possible. We have had years of experience and success in negotiating fair out-of-court settlements for our clients, and have been equally successful in taking these cases to trial when insurers have failed to make our clients a reasonable offer. Our law firm also handles bad-faith claims against insurance companies that fail to cover injuries related to their policyholders’ uninsured/ underinsured motorist policies.

Contact us online or call our Lafayette, Louisiana, offices at 337-205-7593 to schedule a free consultation today.

Areas of Practice

• Insurance Law
• Personal Injury
• Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist