Uninsured Driver Accident

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Uninsured Driver Accident Attorneys in Illinois

Uninsured Driver Accident Attorney in Illinois. Not only is being in a car accident something that no one ever wants to experience, it is even tougher when you have full-coverage, Illinois state-mandated insurance and the other driver in your accident did not have insurance. Accidents where one or more motorists were uninsured regularly result in the driver who had insurance carrying a bigger financial burden, whether it is having to pay more to get their car repaired or paying large medical bills out of pocket.

For more than 70 years, the uninsured driver attorneys at Hassakis & Hassakis have fought on behalf of Southern Illinois families to get them the justice they deserve after an accident. We believe that everyone deserves the help of an experienced, dedicated law firm that gets results after an accident. This is why we take all our Illinois uninsured driver cases on what is called a contingency basis: if we do not get a favorable result for your case, you will not owe us anything. From the moment you first call us, we will give you extensive and complete legal counsel designed to get you the best possible compensation for all the pain and suffering you have been through after your accident.

How Uninsured Motorist Claims Work In Illinois

The state of Illinois mandates that drivers must carry a minimum amount of auto insurance. Currently, this is a minimum of $25,000 for the injury or death of one person in an accident and $50,000 for injury/death of all people in an occurance. Most drivers in Illinois have this; however, whether because they cannot afford it or for any other reason, many do not. The Insurance Information Institute estimates that 11.8 percent of Illinois drivers are uninsured, placing it 24th among American states.

When someone is in a car accident with an uninsured motorist, they have two different options to recover damages:

• File a personal lawsuit against the other driver
• File what is called a first-party claim with your own insurance company against your uninsured motorist coverage

Illinois mandates that all insured drivers carry additional coverage in the event that they are ever in an accident with an uninsured driver. Currently, this means that each policy must have a minimum of $25,000 in uninsured motorist coverage. Claims for uninsured motorist accidents are processed in the same way as if you were filing a claim with another person's insurance company. However, this also means that insurance companies can—and often do—deny or delay claims, and may not pay out what you believe you deserve for your pain and suffering. A personal lawsuit may be a better option in some cases, such as if your insurance company decides to play hardball with your claim or the other driver has a substantial level of personal wealth or assets.

Driving without insurance is also a crime in Illinois, and the penalties for it are quite serious. First and second-time offenders will face a minimum fine of $500 and a maximum fine of $1,000, while both their driver's license and their car's registration can be suspended for three months. If you or anyone else is caught driving a car with suspended plates, you can also be fined $1,000 for that. After your suspension period has concluded, you will be required to pay a $100 reinstatement fee to get your driving privileges back, plus you will have to pay all court costs. Repeat offenders appropriately face higher punishments: a fine of $1,000, a four-month suspension of both license and registration, and a requirement to have an SR-22 on file for three years. If someone has been convicted at least twice of driving without insurance and is involved in an accident, they may have to pay an additional fine of at least $2,500.