Minneapolis Uninsured Motorist Attorney

Being involved in a car accident can be frightening, even if you consider yourself among the iron-willed. You or your loved ones may suffer injuries that require prompt medical treatment. When you’ve been the victim of a car crash that’s no fault of your own, you have a reasonable expectation that the other driver’s insurance will pay for your property damage and medical expenses. But what happens when the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured?

Uninsured Motorist Claims in Minnesota

Did you know that almost 11% of Minnesota drivers lack any kind of insurance coverage? Though this is a startling statistic, there is a silver lining. Since these incidents aren’t uncommon, our firm knows how to handle claims with uninsured or underinsured motorists, and we’ve been helping victims of car crashes in Minneapolis for over 25 years.

Minnesota has comprehensive insurance laws that require you to carry uninsured or underinsured coverage on your policy. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, your first step will be to apply for compensation under this area of your coverage. Uninsured motorist coverage pays for some, but not all, of the expenses that come with a car crash. Be sure to check with your policy holder for specifics, but uninsured motorist coverage usually allows compensation for the following:

  • Medical bills
  • Lost wages from missed work
  • Emotional distress or mental anguish
  • Pain and suffering
  • Losses in future earning capacity, in cases of disabling injury

Unfortunately, there are some things uninsured motorist coverage will not pay for. These include:

  • Property damage, including to your car (though, if you have comprehensive collision coverage, you may seek compensation under this policy).
  • Punitive damages, which are intended to punish the wrongdoer for maleficence or wrongdoing. For example, we may seek punitive damages if an impaired driver seriously injured someone in a car accident, fled the scene, and was eventually caught.

Underinsured insurance coverage may seem like a boon to an injured motorist, but it’s not a gift. You’ve been faithfully paying your insurance premiums. Your stewardship entitles you to this compensation. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always cover the extent of your injuries, leaving you to pick up someone else’s mess.

Other Options for Legal Recourse

Minnesota is part of a no-fault insurance system, which means you don’t need to prove someone is at fault for an accident to receive insurance compensation. The disadvantage of this system is that it sets stricter limits on tort claims. The law allows you to step out of Minnesota’s no-fault system when the following apply:

  • You incurred $4,000 or more in medical expenses as a direct result of the accident.
  • You’ve endured at least 60 days of disability, permanent injury, or disfigurement.

Assuming you’ve met one of these thresholds, you’re free to pursue a claim against a third party or their insurance – once you’ve exceeded the amounts of your own personal injury protection coverage.

It’s also important to remember that claims for vehicle damage don’t apply under Minnesota’s no-fault insurance system. In these cases, you may file a third-party liability claim or even an additional lawsuit against the at-fault driver.

Finding an Experienced Uninsured Motorist Attorney

At Knutson + Casey, we believe you should never have to pay the price for someone else’s negligence. We’ve been helping victims of injury gain compensation for their injuries for over 25 years. Since our inception, we’ve successfully tried or settled over 200 cases. Let us put our experience to work for you – contact us for a free case evaluation.