The attorneys at Kennedy, Kennedy, Robbins & Yarbro, LC, have assisted many clients and their family members when they have been involved in auto accidents. Unfortunately, many times the insurance coverage is insufficient to fully and fairly compensate for the property damage, medical bills, and personal injuries suffered as a result of the accident. The “at-fault” party can personally suffer financially if their insurance coverage is insufficient to cover the property damage and bodily injury. On the other hand, the “non-fault” party can be left with a judgment that is difficult, if not impossible, to collect, if there is not enough insurance coverage in place. Minimum limits are often low and do not offer enough coverage in many situations. Underinsured motorist coverage is a crucial element of your auto policy in times like these. Unfortunately, since it is often not required by state law, many people do not have underinsured motorist coverage available to them on their policy.

The types of insurance coverages available may be confusing to you. Here is a quick summary of the basic coverages:

Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury Coverage (UM) – Covers you for your bodily injury caused by a hit-and-run driver or an at-fault driver who has no auto liability insurance.

Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury Insurance (UIM) – Pays the difference between your UIM limits and the liability limits of the at-fault driver, if lower than your UIM limits.

Liability Coverage – Pays for bodily injury to another person or property damage you cause due to the negligent operation of a vehicle. It may also pay if the accident was caused by a member of your family living with you or a person using your vehicle with your permission. The coverage may also pay for a legal defense if you’re sued because of the accident. Liability coverage is often split into two separate coverages:

Bodily Injury (BI) – Pays for costs due to injury or death to a pedestrian(s) or person(s) in another car. It may also cover your passengers’ injury costs as long as they aren’t members of your household.

Property Damage (PD) – Pays for damage to another person’s car or property such as fences, buildings, utility poles, signs, and trees.

Every state requires uninsured motorist coverage, but each state differs in the amount of minimum coverage required. The attorneys at Kennedy, Kennedy, Robbins & Yarbro, LC, are licensed to practice in Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Of the states in which the attorneys are licensed, only Missouri requires uninsured bodily injury coverage.

Missouri motor vehicle owners are required to show proof of insurance when registering a vehicle and renewing their license plates. Missouri also requires you to have uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000 for bodily injury per person and $50,000 for bodily injury per accident.

Missouri requires the following minimum limits:

$25,000 per person for bodily injury,

$50,000 per accident for bodily injury; and,

$10,000 per accident for property.

To fulfill Arkansas car insurance requirements, you must have liability auto insurance to help pay for injuries or property damage to another person resulting from a car accident you cause.

Arkansas requires the following minimum limits:

$25,000 for bodily injury, per person.

$50,000 for total bodily injury per accident, if multiple people were injured in said accident.

$25,000 for property damage, per accident.

In Mississippi, you are required by state law to have car insurance to drive, even though you don’t need insurance to register your car or apply for your Mississippi driver’s license. Mississippi drivers must have liability insurance.

Mississippi requires the following minimum limits:
$25,000 per person for bodily injury,

$50,000 per accident for bodily injury; and,

$25,000 per accident for property damage.

You may want to consider buying higher limits because the state minimums may not be enough to fully protect you from lawsuits. Many vehicles today are worth more than $20,000 and medical bills for injuries could easily exceed $25,000 for one person. If you are found negligent in an accident and the damages exceed your insurance limits, you can be sued in court for those amounts not covered by your insurance. You will also want to consider underinsured motorist coverage. It is relatively inexpensive to purchase and can be a real life saver if needed.

The attorneys at Kennedy, Kennedy, Robbins & Yarbro, LC urge you to review your family automobile coverage with an attorney, whether that attorney is a member of the firm or another firm, to review both your current UM and UIM coverage. We cannot advise any specific minimum limits regarding UIM coverage but we can discuss worst case scenario situations.

If you have any questions regarding your coverage or you, a family member, or friend have found yourself in the unfortunate position of being involved in an auto accident feel free to contact us or call us at (573)686-2459. We are here for you when you need us.