Vehicle accidents are not uncommon, and the process of recovering compensation is often straightforward. However, that is not the case for accidents involving uninsured or underinsured motorists. Here, we want to discuss what options individuals have if they are harmed by the negligent actions of an uninsured driver or a driver without enough insurance to cover all of the expenses.
Insurance Requirements for Colorado Drivers
Each state is responsible for mandating the types of insurance drivers must carry as well as the minimum amounts of insurance they must purchase. In Colorado, the current insurance types and minimums required include the following:
- Bodily injury or death coverage for one person of $25,000
- Bodily injury or death to all persons in the accident of $50,000
- Property damage liability insurance of $15,000
We bring up the mandatory insurance requirements for Colorado so that we can highlight the fact that the state does not require motorists to carry uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. However, if you operate a vehicle regularly in Colorado, we strongly encourage you to carry these types of insurance coverages.
Examining data available from the Insurance Information Institute, we can see that approximately 16% of all drivers across Colorado are uninsured. This is an astounding number, and it means that you have a good chance of being involved in an accident with an uninsured driver if a collision occurs.
How to Get Compensation After an Uninsured Accident in Colorado
If you have been involved in an accident with an uninsured driver, recovering compensation may be more challenging. The good news is that if you carry uninsured motorist coverage on your policy, then you can file a claim with your own insurance carrier to recover compensation for your losses. You can recover compensation up to the limits of your uninsured motorist policy.
However, if you do not have uninsured motorist coverage, recovering compensation will be more challenging. You may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver, but we do want to add the caveat that if the driver could not afford vehicle insurance coverage, you may not be able to recover compensation from their personal assets, even if you are successful with your claim.
We encourage you to speak to an attorney about your options moving forward after an uninsured motorist accident in Colorado.
Securing Compensation From an Underinsured Driver in Colorado
If you have been involved in an accident with a driver who does not have enough insurance coverage to pay for your total losses, you may be able to recover additional compensation. If you have an underinsured motorist policy as part of your insurance coverage, you can turn to your insurance carrier to recover additional compensation to pay for what the at-fault driver’s coverage did not pay for.
Again, if you do not have underinsured motorist coverage, pursuing additional compensation from the at-fault driver would involve filing a personal injury lawsuit against them. Filing a lawsuit creates additional challenges (though a lawsuit may certainly be justified), and we strongly encourage you to speak to a car accident attorney in Boulder when working to decide the best route for recovering compensation after your accident.