Boise Injury Lawyers / Boise Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Lawyers

Boise Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Lawyers

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    Boise Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Lawyers

    Do you need legal help?



      Boise Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Lawyers

      We help people injured by negligent motorists throughout the state of Idaho

      When you are injured by a negligent motorist, you can seek compensation from their insurance company for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and other losses. What happens, though, when the at-fault driver does not have insurance or does not have enough insurance to cover your damages?  The area of Uninsured (UM) and Underinsured (UIM) motorists is a specialty in the realm of injury law.

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        Trust worthy, honest, efficient, and effective – all words that describe John Edwards and his staff! Working with the team at Hepworth Holzer helped me focus on getting well and not on the financial worries of my situation.

        Kathy Crowley

        John Edwards and his staff are excellent. They took the time to explain the process completely and worked hard to ensure I would get the most out of my settlement. John is a very caring lawyer who cares more about his cleint then the possible gain from the end results. He was able to work with my insurance company to lower their reimbursement to the lowest possible amount and even ensured I would be taken care of with furture clains by waiving co-pays for my shoulder and neck injury.

        Lee Morris

        Mr Holzer has an above-and-beyond, do the right thing approach to life. He is caring and thorough. I’m grateful to know him and have his assistance!

        Sarah Brown

        Charlie Hepworth provided excellent legal services to my husband and I. In 2015, I was struck by a semi-truck on the connector and spent five weeks in the hospital. Charlie was referred to us by a friend and we were so fortunate to have him on board. He was compassionate, knowledgeable, highly experienced, and guided us every step of the way. We are pleased with the outcome and having Charlie on our team certainly made the long process of recovery a bit easier.

        Guy H.

        I am writing specifically about John Kluksdal. The work that he did for me was nothing but amazing. When it was time to go into my settlement hearing, he worked extremely hard and was able to get a justifiable settlement. He’s great!

        Guy H.
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        Get our FREE guide and find out how you can protect your rights with Hepworth Holzer, LLP

        Call Our Boise Personal Injury Lawyers Today

        If you’ve been seriously injured in any of the above-mentioned personal injury cases, please do not hesitate to reach out to us as soon as you possibly can. Your case will be treated as a priority. You will get strong and dependable representation from our Boise personal injury lawyers. We want to encourage you to reach out to us today to set up your free initial consultation. You deserve justice and we can help you get it. Call us today.

        Call Our Boise Personal Injury Lawyers Today

        If you’ve been seriously injured in any of the above-mentioned personal injury cases, please do not hesitate to reach out to us as soon as you possibly can. Your case will be treated as a priority. You will get strong and dependable representation from our Boise personal injury lawyers. We want to encourage you to reach out to us today to set up your free initial consultation. You deserve justice and we can help you get it. Call us today.

        Call Our Boise Personal Injury Lawyers Today

        If you’ve been seriously injured in any of the above-mentioned personal injury cases, please do not hesitate to reach out to us as soon as you possibly can. Your case will be treated as a priority. You will get strong and dependable representation from our Boise personal injury lawyers. We want to encourage you to reach out to us today to set up your free initial consultation. You deserve justice and we can help you get it. Call us today.

        Boise Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Lawyers

        We help people injured by negligent motorists throughout the state of Idaho

        When you are injured by a negligent motorist, you can seek compensation from their insurance company for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and other losses. What happens, though, when the at-fault driver does not have insurance or does not have enough insurance to cover your damages?  The area of Uninsured (UM) and Underinsured (UIM) motorists is a specialty in the realm of injury law.

        Idaho Attorneys To Help With Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists Claims

        Call us at (208) 369-9559 to schedule your free initial consultation about a claim where the other driver has no insurance or not enough insurance.

        If you have purchased the right coverage, you may recover your damages.   Idaho law does not require that you by either UM or UIM coverage. We recommend, however, that you purchase as much of these types of insurance coverage as works within your budget. It is relatively cheap and protects your family.  Its always worthwhile to review your insurance coverage at the start of the year

        How Does Uninsured Motorists (UM) Coverage Work?

        This is pretty simple, when a bad driver causes you an injury and you learn they did not have liability insurance your UM insurance policy provides a benefit to you and allows you to recover your damages. There are some specific rules that apply but your insurance company has a legal obligation to treat you fairly or you will have a claim to recover your attorney fees as well.

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        How Does Underinsured Motorist (UIM) Coverage work?

        Idaho requires drivers to purchase insurance with a minimum bodily injury limit of $25,000.00 per injured party with a total potential payout of $50,000.00. You don’t have to be injured very severely in an automobile accident for medical bills to use up all that insurance money. Then you have the rest of the economic damages—lost wages and the like, and non-economic damages, like pain, suffering and inconvenience. UIM coverage provides additional money to cover these losses and expenses. In Idaho, as soon as you can ascertain that the insurance coverage for the bad guy is insufficient, you can assert a claim for under your UIM coverage.

        Am I Required to Purchased UM or UIM Coverage?

        No. The only auto insurance you are required to buy in Idaho is liability coverage. That coverage provides a benefit to other people that you happen to injure. UM & UIM provide a benefit to you and to loved ones. Your insurance carrier is required to give you the opportunity to purchase these coverages and you have to sign a waiver not to choose them. You may waive UIM coverage from your policy. However, should you suffer a severe injury, if you don’t have UIM coverage, you may not receive the maximum compensation you are owed for the injuries you’ve sustained. Even though you aren’t legally required to purchase UIM coverage, UIM coverage provides you with a significant benefit for only a relatively minor increase to your monthly premium.

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        3 Comments

        Should I Buy Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage?

        Yes! We don’t use exclamation points often but it is appropriate here. UM/UIM coverage is relatively cheap and protects you and your loved ones.

        At Hepworth Holzer, LLP, we are dedicated to securing compensation for people who have been injured by underinsured motorists and uninsured drivers. These “UM” and “UIM” claims require specialized knowledge. We bring many years of experience to each uninsured motorist and underinsured driver claim.

        Sometimes You Have To Sue Your Own Insurance Company

        As Idaho underinsured motorist attorneys, we understand that some people may not feel comfortable with the notion of suing their own insurance company. However, if you have been injured by an underinsured or uninsured motorist, it is most likely your only option. Sometimes, you can arbitrate or mediate but in most cases you have to sue the insurance company. Our law firm has been successful in negotiating fair settlements for our injured clients. We know the tactics insurance companies use to deny or delay claims. We are well-versed in the ways to resolve insurance company disputes.

        Frequently Asked Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Questions

        Are there any special rules when the other driver who hit me doesn’t have enough insuranceAre there any special rules when the other driver who hit me doesn’t have enough insurance?

        Are there special rules that apply to a situation where you’re in a car crash, the other driver is at fault, and that driver does not have enough insurance to cover the value of your claim? Yes, there are special rules involved in those types of situations.

        First, understand that you are actually entitled to sue the individual not only for their insurance up to their limits, but also personally for the value of your claim. While you have that perfect right, however, if the person has no financial stability or ability to satisfy the value of your claim, then you may have a claim that’s not worth pursuing. That’s the first question you have to ask yourself: Does the defendant have the financial wherewithal to satisfy judgment over and above their insurance limits?

        If they don’t, then that triggers either an underinsured motorist claim under your own policy, or, if the other driver had no insurance at all, an uninsured motorist claim under your own policy. Idaho law requires you to have, if you have a policy at all, uninsured motorist coverage. You don’t have to have underinsured motorist coverage, but most policies are sold with both benefits. Those claims are pursued directly against the insurance company, your own insurance company, for what would have been the value of the claim against the at-fault driver.

        Insurance companies have lots of lawyers on retainer and they have seriously experienced lawyers who do this as a profession, so if you have such a claim, you, too, want to have an experienced lawyer on your side who has a track record of actually pursuing such claims and actually going to trial or hearing over such claims. You want them on your side. You want to level the playing field. You want somebody who has the track record of success in pursuing such claims.

        Our firm has been doing this for more than 50 years, at this point. If you have such a claim, please feel free to call us anytime. We all work closely together and all do the same type of work.

        How do I pick the right attorney for an underinsured motorist claim?

        What should you look for in the way of an attorney to handle an uninsured motorist claim? The answer to that question would be to find a lawyer that actually has the experience of being a trial lawyer in front of whoever is going to be the one who makes the decision, whether it’s a jury or an arbitration panel. In uninsured motorist cases, the insurance policies typically have a clause that says those are subject to arbitration as opposed to jury trials, but it’s still a trial, and you need a serious trial lawyer who has actual experience doing trials to assist you in pursuing the claim successfully.

        You also want to look for someone who has got the actual experience of dealing with the insurance companies. The insurance companies know who out there actually does jury trials and does actual trials, and they know who doesn’t. It’s important for you to have an attorney that does have the experience and the command of the insurance company’s attention. Our firm, for example, has been pursuing uninsured motorist claims in front of either juries or arbitration panels for well over 50 years.
        If you have such a claim, it’s the kind of claim that requires seriously experienced counsel because the insurance company – whether you’re dealing with the insurance company directly on uninsured motorist claims – has serious attorneys on their payroll. You definitely would like to have somebody who has a comparable level of experience for pursuing uninsured motorist claims successfully. If you are looking for an attorney and you would like to talk, please call any of the lawyers in our firm today because we all do the same work and we all do it together.

        Should I have underinsured motorist coverage on my auto insurance policy?

        We are often asked whether somebody should have underinsured motorist coverage under their policy. It’s an interesting question. First, understand that Idaho law requires anybody who has a motor vehicle policy of insurance to include uninsured motorist coverage benefits. It’s absolutely required by statute. It’s not required, however, by statute for insurance policies to also provide underinsured motorist coverage benefits, that’s where the at-fault driver has insurance but doesn’t have enough. The short answer to the question of whether you should have underinsured motorist coverage is a very clear and unequivocal yes.

        People often ask this question too late. They have already been involved in an accident and do not have enough insurance to cover your claims. That’s the situation you want to avoid. It’s a bad situation that could turn a badly injured situation into an even worse one, financially. You should absolutely provide yourself with underinsured motorist coverage for the maximum amount that you can afford. It’s needed in Idaho, and it’s something that you are very much cautioned to get immediately if you don’t have it.

        Should I speak with my insurance company if I have an underinsured motorist claimShould I speak with my insurance company if I have an underinsured motorist claim?

        Whether or not you should talk to your insurance company if you have an uninsured or underinsured motorist claim to make is a serious question. When the situation involves the insurance company for the at-fault driver, the answer is definitely no. Under your own policy, however, you’re going to have some language that is going to say something to the affect that you have a duty to cooperate with your own insurance company. They get the right to step into the shoes of the driver who was at fault.

        In that sense, of course, they’re adverse to you, but they also have a relationship with you that is called a fiduciary relationship. It’s an important relationship. They’re supposed to take your interests and not treat you like an enemy. Nevertheless, you are up against an insurance company of your own that is going to have counsel that is very experienced in dealing with such claims, and, in your case, you will need experienced counsel to pursue such claims. You’ll have to talk to them to a certain extent, before you hire a lawyer, because of this duty to cooperate. That also means that once you have counsel, you no longer should be speaking with them. You will under no circumstances, in fact, speak with them; your lawyer will speak for you. To that end, you want to find the most experienced lawyer you can find.

        Our firm has been doing this for over 50 years, at this point. We have the experience to bring to the table and a track record of success as good as anyone’s, if not better than everyone’s. Get the insurance company on board as soon as possible to protect your legal rights. The more you talk to the insurance company, the worse it is for you. They are not your friend at this point, even though they’re supposed to be. If you’re in such a situation, please feel free to call us right away. We all do the same type of work, we all work very closely together, and we have a significant amount of legal horsepower here to bring to the table.

        What happens if another driver injures a passenger in my car but doesn’t have insurance?

        What happens when an at-fault driver injures somebody who is a passenger in your vehicle? In other words, not injuring you but injuring the passenger in the vehicle and that driver that was at fault either doesn’t have any or doesn’t have enough insurance to cover the passenger’s claim? The passenger does have the right, of course, to file a lawsuit or a claim against the at-fault driver for whatever insurance monies they have, and they have the right to at least seek to recover all damages that the value of the claim is worth against that at-fault driver, assuming they have the financial wherewithal to pay it all off over and above their insurance limits. Unfortunately, most people that have a small amount of insurance also do not have the financial ability to cover the claim. The passenger has an absolute right to sue the other driver, just like you as a driver would have against the at-fault driver.

        Also, the passenger in your vehicle is entitled to be covered under your policy, whether you have underinsured motorist coverage or uninsured motorist coverage. Your passenger has a right to seek recovery under those benefits of the insurance policy. Your coverage extends to not only you but all those that are traveling with you. That passenger might have their own policy for uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage for which they can seek to recover. The passenger is not without legal avenues to pursue.

        There are some troubled waters, of course, that the passenger will face. It’s not easy to deal with these insurance companies directly or this adverse driver who was at fault. If a passenger is in such a situation where they’re injured, they may even be in a situation where they need to make a claim directly against you, as the driver, if there’s any claim that you were at fault. If such a claim exists for a passenger, if they’re injured, it requires someone who has the trial experience of having previously successfully pursued such claims. They’re a little convoluted, they’re pretty much almost impossible to do on your own, and so it requires the best, most experienced lawyer that you could find.

        Our law firm has been handling such claims successfully so for over 50 years, and we do have that experience to bring to the table, which is what you need on your side because the other side is definitely going to have lawyers with that experience. If you have such a claim, please feel free to call any of the lawyers at my firm because we all do the same type of work and we all work very, very closely together.

        What’s the difference between underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage

        What if I’m in a car accident and the other driver doesn’t have any insurance?

        It can cause a person’s stomach to drop when they learn that the other driver who caused a wreck is uninsured. We are all conditioned to think that the other people that are on the road are insured and will have insurance to take care of the damages caused when they make a mistake driving. What do you do if they are uninsured? That actually requires preparation ahead of time. One, it’s a criminal claim against them, and they may ultimately be prosecuted, and you may ultimately get some kind of restitution order. If a person is not buying insurance for their car that they’re driving, the chances of you actually recovering money from them is not just small, it’s minuscule. What you want to do ahead of time is purchase your own uninsured motorist coverage.

        Uninsured motorist coverage and its companion, underinsured motorist coverage, are coverages that you purchase to protect you in a Boise, Idaho car accident with an uninsured motorist. That way, you have insurance to pay the bills and to provide compensation for all your losses. Our advice is to buy as much uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage as your budget will reasonably allow you to do. It’s relatively cheap coverage, and it’s there to protect you. It’s like putting on your seat belt; it’s just something that you should do to take care of yourself. Around five to eight percent of the drivers out there are not insured, and, while the state may put them in jail for that or charge them a fine for that, that doesn’t take care of your medical bills, your wage losses, or your pain and suffering.

        If you’re concerned about an uninsured motorist claim, or you need to make an uninsured motorist claim against your own auto insurance policy, or you want to talk about uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist coverage to help you decide how much to buy for yourself, even if you’ve not been in a wreck yet, we’ll be happy to talk to you about those things and give you some guidance and discuss your situation with you. We don’t see insurance, but we want you to have it. Give us a call if we can provide any assistance in this area.

        What’s the difference between underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage?

        What is the difference between uninsured motorist coverage benefits and underinsured motorist coverage benefits? The words kind of say the answer. If you’ve been in a car wreck and the at-fault driver is somebody who has no insurance at all, then you look to cover under your uninsured motorist coverage benefit of your policy. Your policy will have certain limits for each such claim, just like the at-fault driver does.

        If you have such a claim, you need to understand that this is going to be directly against one of these big, bad insurance companies, and they’ve got big, bad lawyers that are looking to defend such claims. If you have such a claim, you would want the best, most experienced trial lawyer that you can get and one with the experience of pursuing claims directly against the insurance companies for either uninsured motorist coverage benefits or underinsured motorist coverage benefits. It’s your policy and you’re entitled to those benefits. You want somebody fighting for you that’s in your camp, not in theirs, because they, at that point, are not your friend— they’re your enemy.

        If you have such a claim, you want to have somebody who has the experience and the track record of successfully pursuing such claims. Our firm has been doing this for longer than everyone, probably. Myself personally, I have been pursuing such claims for almost 30 years at this point. If you have such a claim, please feel free to call my personally, anytime, or any of the other lawyers at our law firm because we all do the same work and we all work very closely together. Please, call anytime.

        Contact Us For A Free Case Review and Assessment Today

        Choosing the right law firm to handle your case makes a difference. We will answer your questions regarding an uninsured driver or underinsured motorist claim. You can schedule your free initial consultation with our Boise and Ada County uninsured motorist lawyers. We speak Spanish, can arrange evening and weekend appointments or can home to your home or hospital room.

        Call us at (208) 369-9559 or toll free at (877) 343-7510. We also are happy to be contacted online.

        Client Reviews

        stars

        “During one of the most difficult times my family has ever gone through, the firm of Hepworth Holzer was our saving grace. Kurt Holzer, John Kluksdahl, and the rest of the firm worked tirelessly to get justice for our mother who was needlessly killed as a result of a drunken driving crash involving a negligent company. They not only secured an unprecedented settlement for my sisters and I, but also supported us during the criminal trial. I could not recommend this firm more!”
        – W.D.
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