by ebrown1 » Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:05 pm
my situation is this. i live in indiana and was in a wreck in tallahassee fla. they have a no fault insurance model there. it was not my car, i was not driving. it was also a hit & run, and they have not caught the crook who did this to me. i had a broken wrist, pinkie, and a righteous case of road rash. my total bills are covered up to 10K with a 20% deductible. and they also have, something called uninsured driver coverage, that i don't know how to access, which i cannot access until the case is closed by the police. do i need a lawyer, how long will this take to resolve, should i pay out of pocket? im already up to approx 8,000 in bills what do i do?
Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:58 pm Post Subject:
Do you need a lawyer? No one can know that but you as it's a personal decision. It's not required to be paid on a claim.
The UIMBI coverage takes the place of the other, at-fault parties insurance. It acts just as the other person's carrier would have if they were known.
The UIMBI adjuster will need to fully understand what your treatment will include in order to make an offer. They will also require that you sign a release before you are paid. It's a one time payment. So you also need to know what all of your treatment will entail. Granted, as your treatment progresses it might be possible to take a good guess at how much more treatment is needed.
Medical providers will usually let that 20% "ride" until you get paid. They can always send in a lien to your UIMBI carrier and they then have to paid directly for your treatment. IMHO you want avoid this as once you settle with the carrier for the full amount of your medical bills, you can then negotiate a lesser payment with the people who treated you (at least in FL they will usually settle for around 50% or 70% of their actual bills). This increases the amount you keep in your pocket.
If you hire an attorney the claim will be much easier for you as the attorney will be handling it. But the attorney will also take 33% of the entire settlement and expenses.
Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 06:25 am Post Subject:
Tcope I have a slight confusion, the OP has stated that the it was a hit & run accident and the driver at-fault weren't found, so, wouldn't it then be covered under the UMBI instead of UIMBI?
Brown, if I understand you correctly then you were a passenger in the vehicle and the owner has this uninsured motorist coverage. Well, if that is the case then you would be covered under it.
Has the car owner filed a claim with his insurer? I think they need to do this first.
~Jeremy
Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 06:30 am Post Subject:
so, wouldn't it then be covered under the UMBI instead of UIMBI?
Yes... sorry, I just typed without thinking.Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 06:41 am Post Subject:
Hi ebrown1,
do i need a lawyer, how long will this take to resolve, should i pay out of pocket?
Are you willing to let go of this 33% so easily? I'd rather suggest you to go for the lawyer only when all other doors seem closed.
im already up to approx 8,000 in bills what do i do?
Did the provider give you an estimation of how much more of treatment you'd still need to go through?
Steven
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