{"id":7013,"date":"2023-04-04T13:44:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-04T13:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/?p=7013"},"modified":"2023-03-31T13:45:34","modified_gmt":"2023-03-31T13:45:34","slug":"what-to-do-if-an-uninsured-driver-hits-you-in-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/what-to-do-if-an-uninsured-driver-hits-you-in-ca\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do When Your Car Gets Hit by an Uninsured Driver in Los Angeles\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Don\u2019t worry about it too much. Or at least that\u2019s what you can do if your auto insurance policy<\/a> includes financial protection against uninsured motorists. In that case, your insurer will provide a settlement check even if the driver at fault for the collision, doesn\u2019t have car insurance, or doesn\u2019t have enough auto coverage to pay for all your repairs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bigger problem is if the accident is caused by a driver without auto insurance in L.A. and you don\u2019t have a policy that includes uninsured motorist protection. Here\u2019s what we recommend you do in such a dicey situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know the Law Regarding Fault and Uninsured Motorists <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like most U.S. states, California has at-fault car insurance laws. What that means is that the driver at fault for the accident, or the insurance company representing that driver, is responsible for the damages they caused other parties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simple, right? Unless the party at fault is an uninsured driver<\/a> or underinsured (meaning they might have some car insurance but not enough to pay for the accident). Or it\u2019s a case of a hit-and-run driver, and there\u2019s no one to even try to collect from. Now what do you do? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay Calm <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Emotions can get out of hand immediately after an accident involving two or more cars. Everyone might try to blame everyone else. If it was road rage that led to the accident, that\u2019s even more cause for concern. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the driver at fault pulls over to the side of the road and appears to be calm, politely meet up with them and exchange contact information that you\u2019ll then turn over to the proper authorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call the Police \u2026 Maybe <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In cities and towns smaller than Los Angeles, the after-accident process might always involve calling the police. An officer might show up in a matter of minutes, question both drivers, and almost immediately be able to assign blame. In that scenario, you and the insurance companies will get a police report that shows the other driver to be at fault. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things are a bit different in traffic-clogged Los Angeles. Here, you\u2019ll only call the police if all else fails. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t dial 911 unless you or others are injured, you feel threatened by the other driver or they seem impaired, or you think you or others might be at additional risk because one or more disabled vehicles pose a traffic risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, here\u2019s the process and contact information to be used<\/a> in a variety of scenarios. Most don\u2019t include filing a police report before reaching out to your insurance company in the event of an L.A. accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, if the at-fault motorist is an uninsured driver or it\u2019s a hit-and-run situation<\/a>, your insurance company might not be able to offer much help unless you have coverage to handle such circumstances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be forewarned, California is ranked sixth among states<\/a> when it comes to uninsured motorists, with 16.6 percent of its drivers being uninsured. That\u2019s about one out of every six drivers on the congested highways and byways of La-La Land. As a result, it\u2019s not all that unlikely that such an accident will occur at some point to you or a family member.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Man <\/picture><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Consider Hiring an Attorney\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to California law, if at-fault drivers don\u2019t have car insurance, they must pay for damage to the cars and personal property of others out of their own pockets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s highly possible, though, that this outcome won’t be the case, especially if the at-fault driver could not afford auto insurance. Mostly likely, this person won’t be able to pay for the damages either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are lawyers who specialize in helping victims like you. They\u2019ll do all they can to chase down the other driver and get them to pay up. But you might have heard the expression about squeezing blood from a rock. What it means is that you might win your case in every court in California, but if the at-fault driver has no money, there\u2019s no money. Period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your lawyer, on the other hand, will insist on being paid for every hour consumed in the hunt for damages payment. That\u2019s fair, but costly. Over time, you might easily pay more for legal services than your own car repair bill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bottom line: if you think the other driver can afford to assume financial responsibility (for instance, he owns a Porsche), and you think recovery can be quick and easy, it might be worthwhile to hire a lawyer. Otherwise \u2026 maybe not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Proactive Action and Upgrade Your Car Insurance Now <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s only one flawless solution. That\u2019s to have a policy that offers protection against uninsured drivers before the crash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy and not very expensive<\/a> to upgrade to a policy with this benefit if it\u2019s not already in place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not sure what your benefits include<\/a>, call an independent insurance broker and have them review your policy with you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019d be surprised how affordable it is to buy or upgrade to cheap coverage that will offer protection for accidents caused by hit-and-run or uninsured drivers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason it\u2019s so important to consult on this topic with an independent agent is because they represent multiple major carriers, not just one. In that way, you can get the most affordable coverage at rates you can afford. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get the Best Car Insurance in Los Angeles Today <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your first step to avoiding the outrageous cost of colliding with an at-fault uninsured driver is to contact Cost-U-Less before you start driving at all. Call us at (800) 390-4071<\/a>. Or get a quick quote online<\/a> for cheap car insurance with uninsured motorist benefits. You can also meet an independent agent at a location near <\/a>you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Get a Quote<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Call Us<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Find Your Office<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t worry about it too much. Or at least that\u2019s what you can do if your auto insurance policy includes financial protection against uninsured motorists. In that case, your insurer will provide a settlement check even if the driver at fault for the collision, doesn\u2019t have car insurance, or doesn\u2019t have enough auto coverage to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[697,698,695],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7013"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7013"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7018,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7013\/revisions\/7018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}