Following the aftermath of a car crash, one of the first things that you should do, after checking yourself for injuries and making sure it is safe, is to talk with the driver of the vehicle that hit you. Typically, a conversation with the other driver will include an exchange of insurance information. However, sometimes the other driver does not have enough insurance, or no insurance at all. When the driver who hit you has no insurance, or nowhere near enough, the recovery you need can suddenly depend on your own auto policy. That is the reality behind many uninsured/underinsured car accidents in Fresno, where the coverage you carry is as essential as proving the other driver was at fault. A car collision attorney can review your policy and tell you whether uninsured or underinsured motorist benefits can help.
These claims work differently from a typical car crash case because you are seeking benefits from your own insurer, and these companies do not always make it easy. Dunnion Law is a family-run firm that has stood up for injured Californians for over 50 years, and we push back when an insurer treats its own policyholder like an opponent.
You may pursue an uninsured car wreck claim in Fresno when the at-fault driver has no bodily injury liability coverage, within the terms and limits of your own policy. The state requires insurers to include uninsured motorist protection on qualifying auto policies unless you signed a valid written rejection of it.
These rules appear in California Insurance Code § 11580.2, which sets the framework for both uninsured and underinsured coverage. It protects you for covered bodily injury or a wrongful death caused by an uninsured vehicle, unless that coverage was properly removed or reduced under the statute.
A Fresno hit-and-run car collision can fall under uninsured motorist coverage when the identity of the driver who fled remains unknown. For bodily injury from an unknown driver, state law generally requires actual physical contact with that vehicle, and it requires you to report the crash to law enforcement within 24 hours.
You then have 30 days to give your insurer a sworn statement about what happened. Because these deadlines decide whether coverage applies, it is important to save evidence and track the reporting timeline. We can determine whether your crash meets the statute’s definition of an uninsured vehicle and what your policy requires.
An underinsured car wreck claim in Fresno may arise when the at-fault driver does carry insurance, but the limits are lower than yours and too small to cover what you need. Under state law, underinsured benefits usually are not available until the other driver’s liability limits are exhausted through a settlement or judgment, with proof of that payment sent to your own insurer.
From there, you can pursue underinsured benefits from your own policy, up to your limits and subject to the offsets the statute allows. Your insurer can still argue about fault or the value of your claim, so documenting your injuries and losses carefully remains important.
An insurance gap can turn a straightforward car accident claim into a fight with your own coverage. Uninsured/underinsured car accidents in Fresno reward careful attention to policy language and statutory deadlines, because one missed condition can give the insurer an argument it should never have had.
Since 1975, Dunnion Law has helped injured Californians hold insurers to their promises, including on uninsured and underinsured motorist claims. Reach out to discuss your crash and the coverage that may be available to you.
