With so many different coverage options available, motor vehicle insurance can be complicated. One, often overlooked and not fully understood type of coverage is Underinsured Motorist Coverage (or UIM for short).

Now, before we discuss Underinsured coverage, you should first have a good understanding of the basics of auto insurance in Massachusetts. In order to register and legally operate your vehicle, you must have auto insurance, it’s the law. Auto insurance policies have different parts to them. There is compulsory coverage and then there is optional coverage.

For example, one mandatory (or compulsory) part of auto insurance policy is bodily injury to others. This means that your auto insurance policy must carry coverage for bodily injury to others.

Underinsured motorist coverage, however, is optional.  This means that you do not need to have it in order to insure and register your vehicle. However, it is optional coverage that everyone should strongly consider when purchasing auto insurance.

Having underinsured coverage will afford additional insurance coverage in the event you are injured in an accident caused by another driver that doesn’t have enough bodily injury insurance to cover your damages. In that case, you would look to your own auto insurance policy for underinsured coverage that would be available up to a certain limit to cover your damages that exceed the other driver’s bodily injury limits.

As you can see, auto insurance coverage and laws can be complex. Having handled personal injury and accident cases on a day to day basis at our office, Joe and I know what needs to be done and have the skills and resources necessary to recover the money our clients deserve from the car insurance companies.  Our experience allows us to determine the value of accident cases, find out how much insurance coverage is available and to protect your legal rights.

If you have any questions about auto insurance coverage or generally about your accident, feel free to call us. We’d be happy to answer your questions and explain how may be able to help you.

Charles S. Pappas
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Massachusetts injury lawyer & workers' compensation attorney serving accident victims in Webster & Framingham.