Car Accident Without Insurance

If you were recently involved in a car accident without insurance, you can face significant consequences, especially if you were at fault or caused the accident. All drivers in Colorado are required to have auto insurance. If you do not have proper insurance, you should seek advice from a Colorado car accident attorney as soon as possible. If the other driver was at fault, you can still recover damages for the injuries and losses from the other driver and his insurance company.

If you were at fault and did not have insurance you could end up facing several significant consequences, including being personally responsible for the property damage to your car, and also not only the damage to the other driver’s car but also any personal injuries that you caused to the other driver.  You could eventually be subject to being sued personally for all of the other driver’s damages if you were at fault for the accident and you did not have insurance. 

It is critical to understand Colorado’s auto insurance requirements and to know what options could be available to you for compensation in addition to the consequences you could face if you cause an accident and did not have insurance. 

Colorado Requires Motorists to Have Auto Insurance

If you own a vehicle and you drive the vehicle, Colorado law requires you to have auto insurance. The following are the current minimum auto insurance requirements in the state:

• \$25,000 bodily injury liability for one person who is injured or killed in a single accident;
• \$50,000 bodily injury liability for all persons who are injured or killed in a single accident; and
• $15,000 coverage for property damage in a single accident.

These coverages can become very complicated depending on how many people are occupying the vehicle that’s involved in a crash, especially if there are two or more people occupying the vehicle that are injured.  

You can always purchase more insurance than the minimums required by Colorado law, but you cannot go below the minimum requirements listed above.

When You Do Not Have Insurance and the Other Driver is At Fault

If you do not have insurance and the other driver is at fault for the collision, you can still present your claim to the other driver’s insurance company.  If the other driver’s insurance company does not offer to provide you with a fair settlement of your claims, then you can bring a file a lawsuit, as long as it is brought within the appropriate time period or “statute of limitations”.  You should seek experienced and competent car accident legal counsel concerning these issues, otherwise, you could forever lose your right to be compensated for your injuries.  

When the At-Fault Driver Does Not Have Auto Insurance

If you were injured in a collision caused by another driver who did not have insurance, then you may be able to seek compensation by filing what is referred to as a first-party claim through your own insurance policy.  These claims are presented to your own insurance company pursuant to the “Uninsured Motorist” coverage in your own insurance policy.  The amount of coverage that you choose when you buy your own insurance policy when you purchase that policy will dictate how much you later receive related to that insurance coverage.  There are exception, but they can be complicated, and it is important to contact an experienced and knowledgeable car accident lawyer who also understand the complexities of first party insurance claims.   

Contact a Colorado Car Accident Lawyer

If you have questions or concerns about a car accident without insurance, you should know that an experienced Colorado car accident attorney can help you to understand your rights and responsibilities based on the facts of your case. Contact McCormick & Murphy, P.C. today.