Underinsured / Uninsured Motorist Accidents

Many Louisiana drivers are uninsured and are breaking the law every day for not having the required minimum liability insurance. This is a significant issue. Problems also arise when a driver is underinsured. Louisiana law mandates, as a minimum, that a driver carry 15/30/25 insurance coverage. The 15 stands for $15,000 for injury to one person, 30 for $30,000 for all people injured in an accident, and 25 for $25,000 for property damaged in an accident. Uninsured motorists (UM) coverage pays for medical and physical pain and suffering, disfigurement, lost income, loss of enjoyment of life as well as other types of losses when an uninsured driver strikes your car or even if you are a victim of a hit and run. Similarly, underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage helps when someone causes an accident, but the at fault driver does not have enough insurance to cover your losses. In that case, the other driver’s insurance will pay its limits of coverage then your UIM coverage will cover the rest of the money that is needed up to your limits of your coverage. UM/UIM is a great way for drivers to protect themselves when they are struck by other drivers without insurance or when their insurance will not be enough to cover the losses suffered by the injured victim after a serious accident.

Insurance companies are required to offer these types of coverage. When you purchase automobile insurance in Louisiana you automatically get UM/UIM UNLESS you REJECT it by signing a document stating so. Because Louisiana requires that all drivers have a liability insurance policy carrying minimum limits of $15,000, that give the injured victim some level of protection. However, if you incur $15,000 in medical bills there will not be enough to compensate for such things as loss of wages and future earnings, pain and suffering, etc. That inadequacy in coverage is precisely why I instruct all of my clients to purchase UM/UIM coverage. It gives greater protection and covers more risk. The Cardone Law Firm looks for every possible way to maximize our client’s recovery. We will look to UM/UIM to get the compensation you deserve. Mr. Cardone prides himself on finding any possible way to make his clients whole again. He is The New Orleans Attorney to search for all available insurance so that you receive just compensation for your injuries. It is important to seek help from the Cardone Law Firm to maximize the possible compensation from your UM/UIM.

What troubles me is when a client is seriously injured through no fault of his own and the liable driver either does not have insurance or has too little to cover my clients’ losses. I have heard from my clients more times than I care to recall how they do not want to use their own insurance to cover their losses. They argue that they do not want their premiums to go up or that their company has been good to them over the years! First, you’re not at fault so your rates won’t go up. Second, your company has been taking your money for years and you haven’t gotten anything in return for paying premiums for those years!!! Additionally, why buy the UM/UIM coverage if you never intend to use it. Truth is that insurance companies could care less about you…they care about their bottom line and they answer to their stockholders. Period.

Mr. Cardone will not allow a victim of a car accident to go uncompensated due to the lack of or inadequacy of coverage of the responsible party. We understand the various other ways to receive compensation for our clients.

Because an accident can create multiple issues and significant needs such as finding ways to receive compensation and recovery, an injured party should hire an experienced New Orleans attorney who not only handles such accidents, but also has the resources necessary to provide for a victim’s medical needs as well as the hiring of experts from a variety of fields to increase the value of the case. Cliff Cardone has practiced law for over 40 years and has primarily handled personal-injury matters such as this. If you have been injured in a car accident, Phone Cardone at 504-522-3333 for a free in person consultation. He is direct, insightful, proactive, and passionate about his client’s cases.