Doylestown Residents: Here’s What You Need to Know About Uninsured Motorist Insurance

As Doylestown and the rest of the state continues to reopen and people begin to reunite with small groups of family and/or friends, there will come a time when your loved ones will begin to travel long distances for visits and vacations. When that time comes, imagine that you’re picking up your in-laws from the airport. You make sure everyone fastens their seatbelts before hitting the road.  On the way back, you notice that the car next to you keeps veering close to the line separating your lanes.  The woman driving it is distracted, texting on her cell phone. You speed up a little, engage your blinker, and move into her lane to get out of the danger zone.  Ten minutes later, while you’re deep in a discussion with your mother-in-law about her favorite cake, the car behind you plows into the rear of your vehicle.  Sure enough, it’s the distracted driver who caused the accident.  To make matters worse, she’s uninsured.

Both you and your in-laws are injured in the accident and require medical treatment. Plus, you’re out of work for a few weeks while getting treated for your injuries. Not to fear. Speak to our Doylestown accident lawyer today to find out what you need to do next. Since Pennsylvania is a no-fault insurance state, all Pennsylvania drivers are required to carry personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. PIP provides a certain amount of compensation for medical care and lost wages after an accident. Since PIP typically has low coverage limits, it’s smart to also carry uninsured motorist coverage as it helps to cover medical bills that exceed a PIP plan’s coverage amounts.

Throughout Doylestown and the state of Pennsylvania, insurance companies are required to offer uninsured motorist coverage to drivers seeking auto insurance. Uninsured motorist coverage isn’t mandatory; however, you’ll have to sign a form to waive the coverage. 

The minimum limits offered by insurance companies for uninsured motorist coverage are $15,000 per person and $30,000 per incident; however, in Pennsylvania, auto insurance companies are required to offer this coverage in higher amounts.  Coverage will be expressed as two numbers – one amount per person and a total amount per incident.  So, 100/300 would translate into $100,000 bodily injury coverage per person and $300,000 bodily injury coverage per incident.

What Does Pennsylvania’s Uninsured Motorist Insurance Cover?

Uninsured motorist insurance covers your and your passengers’ medical expenses to treat bodily injuries in the event you get into a car accident with a driver who is either uninsured or underinsured (i.e. lacks adequate coverage to pay your expenses). It can be used to pay for your:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages (in the event you can’t work as a result of the accident)
• Pain and suffering 
• Funeral expenses (in the event of your death)

In addition, if your medical expenses exceed the limit of your PIP coverage, uninsured motorist insurance can be used to cover your excess medical expenses. Moreover, it can be used to pay your in-laws’ medical expenses too.

Contact a Doylestown Accident Lawyer in the Event of an Accident

If you or a loved one should get into a car accident, contact a Doylestown accident lawyer for a free consultation. We’ll make sure you get all the compensation you deserve from the insurance company.