Hi I’m Jared, I’m from Premier Law Group, and today I’m going to answer a common question I hear: Should I purchase UIM or UM coverage?
And the answer to that is, yes. But before we get to why you want to get that coverage, let me explain what that is. UM is uninsured motorist coverage and UIM is underinsured motorist coverage and though they’re a little bit different, they essentially cover the same thing. Uninsured motorist coverage gives you protection in case you’re involved in a motor vehicle accident with someone who has no automobile insurance. Underinsured motorist coverage is coverage that you have and that gives you kind of a safety net in case the person that you’re involved in a collision with doesn’t have enough coverage.
In Washington State, the minimum limits that people by law have to have are $25,000 in liability coverage. And essentially what that means is, if you get hit by someone who only has $25,000, or the minimum liability coverage, that means that if you get in a car crash, and say you break your leg, and because of that broken leg, you end up having to have surgery, and let’s say because of that broken leg, you end up with about $100,000 in medical bills. Well, if the person that hit you only has the minimum limits, or $25,000, their insurance company is only on the hook to pay you that $25,000. So you’re left with the $75,000+ just in medical bills. And that may not even cover wage loss and other pain and suffering damages. Without UM/UIM, you’re going to be left in a tough spot.
Questions about making sure you’re covered? Call me at 206-285-1743 and I or a member of my team will be happy to answer your questions. You can also check out the many free resources we have for order on our website.
Jason at premier law group is truly an outstanding individual. Our particular case was not something that their firm usually sees but they were more than willing to help us and give us all of the information they had available. I can't recommend them enough.