Overview of UIM Coverage
A critical insurance coverage to have on your automobile policy is uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Referred to as "UIM" coverage, this pays for losses suffered by you and/or family members in the event of a collision involving a motor vehicle. This coverage will pay, up to the policy limit, the losses that the liable driver's insurance doesn't cover. Unfortunately, many drivers either have no insurance or they only have the Washington state minimum liability coverage of $25,000 bodily injury / $10,000 property damage. Any crash that causes significant injury, medical treatment, or property damage will quickly exceed these minimum amounts. If you or a loved one is involved in a crash with a motor vehicle, the UIM coverage will pay for losses that the liable driver's insurance doesn't pay for.
The amount of UIM coverage on an auto policy is frequently tied to the amount of liability coverage. For example, if you have $250,000 of bodily injury liability coverage, then you would also have $250,000 in UIM coverage. We strongly recommend paying for the highest amount of UIM coverage that you can afford.
How UIM coverage works following a motor vehicle collision
As discussed above, UIM coverage only applies in those situations where the liable driver's insurance does not cover all the damages from a crash. If the liable driver has no insurance, then UIM will be the only insurance available. In the typical case involving a motor vehicle collision and injuries, we will prepare a claim to submit first to the liable driver's insurance. If the liable driver's insurance pays the policy limit amount, we would then prepare and submit a claim with the UIM insurer. Most of the injury cases we work on involve very serious injuries, so we are usually making claims with both the liable driver's insurance and the UIM insurance.
