Importance of Uninsured Motorist (UM) Coverage for Motorcycle Riders

Proving liability and damages after a motorcycle accident may not automatically result in payment for all of your losses. The person who harmed you must have sufficient liability insurance coverage or assets to cover your damages. In most cases, someone who does not have insurance also does not have valuable assets that may be used to pay medical bills and lost income. Uninsured motorist coverage protects motorcycle riders in East Tennessee and elsewhere when they are injured by someone who does not have liability insurance. The importance of this coverage cannot be overstated. Maryville motorcycle accident lawyer Mark Hartsoe can help victims bring a claim against their UM provider when needed.

Tennessee law requires drivers to have liability insurance with coverage for $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. This means that an insurer for someone with the minimum liability insurance will only pay up to $25,000 of the damages suffered by a motorcyclist who is injured.

Most people who have needed to receive substantial treatment for serious injuries know that $25,000 may not even scrape the surface of the medical costs associated with serious injuries, not to mention the costs of missing work for a lengthy period. If both the motorcyclist and their passenger are injured, only up to $50,000 will be paid. In many cases, drivers do not have even the bare minimum. In Tennessee, 24% of drivers do not carry mandatory liability insurance.

Motorcyclists must have uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. The former will protect them in case they are harmed by the negligence of someone with no liability insurance at all. Underinsured motorist coverage will protect you if the coverage that the negligent driver has is not enough to compensate for the injuries and losses that you suffered. Both are important because very little protects a motorcyclist struck by a larger vehicle, and the resulting injuries may be catastrophic or even fatal.

If you do not have uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, you may not be able to recover your full losses after a motorcycle accident in Tennessee. Generally, it is wise to purchase as much uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage as you can afford, since there are greater risks of serious injuries associated with motorcycle accidents than car crashes.

When you make an uninsured or underinsured motorist claim, you make it to your own insurer. This puts you in an adversarial relationship with your own insurer. Your insurer may be trying to prove that you were at fault or partially at fault for the accident by riding your motorcycle unsafely so that it does not need to pay as much in damages. Motorcycle accident lawyer Mark Hartsoe knows how to navigate this process and can help ensure that your rights are fully asserted.

Motorcycle accidents may be serious even at low speeds. While the driver of a larger vehicle may walk away with no injuries, a motorcyclist may face lifelong consequences. Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage for motorcycle riders is very important. For many riders, it is the only way that they can afford the significant costs associated with an accident. Call Maryville motorcycle accident attorney Mark Hartsoe at 865-804-1011 or contact the Hartsoe Law Firm via our online form to set up a free appointment. Mark Hartsoe represents people who need a motor vehicle collision lawyer throughout East Tennessee, including in Blount, Knox, Monroe, Loudon, Jefferson, Grainger, Cocke, Campbell, Hamblen, Greene, Anderson, Cumberland, and Fentress Counties.