Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage (UM or UIM) is insurance that is available to a person injured in an automobile accident when the at-fault driver either does not have automobile insurance or does not have an adequate amount of insurance to cover the damages. Uninsured motorist coverage can arise in a number of scenarios.

For example, when someone is a passenger in an automobile that is struck by another vehicle, that passenger has not only the uninsured motorist coverage of the driver of his/her car available to them, but they also have their own individual uninsured motorist coverage available to them.

One unique aspect of Alabama’s uninsured motorist law is the ability to stack uninsured motorist policies. This means that if you have more than one vehicle in your household with uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage you can stack or add together the total amount of each policy.

For example, if a married couple has two cars with uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000 on each car, and one of them is involved in a car accident with an uninsured driver, that person can stack these vehicles together and have $50,000 of uninsured motorist coverage.

Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, similar to liability coverage, provides an injured person with the ability to make a recovery for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. A recent study found that approximately 25% of Alabama drivers were uninsured. Thus, it is important that you speak with your insurance company to evaluate whether you have an adequate amount of uninsured motorist coverage.

However, if you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident with an uninsured or underinsured motorist, it’s important that you speak with an experienced Alabama uninsured motorist attorney.