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Accident with uninsured driver in TN. His fault.

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sarah-0987

Junior Member
I was in a car accident with a guy on Jan. 31st, and I was rear-ended at a red light. He hit so hard that I was shoved into an SUV in front of me, and I hit my head pretty hard. It was obviously deemed his fault, but he was cited for no insurance and for negligent driving. He told me that he didn't know we were stopped, but he told the officer that his foot slipped off the brake pedal. Regardless, it was still his fault. His vehicle and the one in front of me were not damaged, and the people in front of me were not worried in the least bit about anything, b/c they said they were all fine, and there was absolutely no damage to their vehicle. Mine, however, has approximately 2,300 dollars worth, not including the busted radiator and other possible internal damage that might have occurred. I was also treated at the ER for contusions to my head and muscle spasms in my neck and back. I missed a few days of school because of this and because of the medicine that I was placed on. I have approximately 7,000-8,000 dollars' worth of medical bills that haven't been paid and around 3,000 or more dollars' worth of damage to my car. It is still unfixed. We are trying to contact the guy, and I am scared that I'm going to have to pay for all of this myself. I can't afford this, especially with my being a college student and all. I'm doing the best I can already to make my bills meet. I want to know what my options are as far as getting compensated for my injuries and property damage are concerned. I have only liability on my car, but it was not my fault, so that shouldn't matter, should it? If anyone has any kind of information or advice that could help me out, I'd greatly appreciate it!! Thanks, Sarah
 
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moburkes

Senior Member
Well, considering that he doesn't have insurance, he probably doesn't have any assets to protect. Even if you win a judgment against him, you will then need to fgure out how to collect. Does your policy have uninsured motorist coverage, collision, or uninsured motorist property damage coverage, or any type of medical coverage?
 

sarah-0987

Junior Member
Yeah, I realize that, and that's why it's so difficult to know if I'm going to have to pay for this. He is in college with me, also, and he seems to come from a home that could afford to pay for this, if you know what I mean. Not that it would happen, b/c there are other extenuating circumstances that could arise with family, etc. I have uninsured motorist, but it doesn't cover everything as far as my case is concerned, b/c it's just for the other driver if it were my fault. All I have is crappy liability b/c it's the cheapest. I don't know what else to do as far as trying to collect on it, b/c I'm pretty sure that I have a strong case to win. Just the collecting would be difficult... Any suggestions? Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! :)
 

moburkes

Senior Member
Sarah, you're misundersanding your coverages. But, let me back up. His family probably isn't responsible for paying for the damages that HE caused, unless he was driving a vehicle that was owned by one of those family members.

Unnsured motorist coverage pays for YOUR medical bills when you are hit by someone who doesn't have insurance. Uninsured motorist property damage pays for the damage to your vehicle, as does collision, when you are hit by someone who doesn't have insurance.
 

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