071 UM Coverage Explained

VERONICA: Hello, friends. Welcome to the house. It’s Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB. I’m your girl, Veronica Waters. So happy to welcome you back into the house with us today.

VERONICA: I am always happy to have you in the house. You know this, right? One of my favorite people for sure. We usually just riff about football and stuff when we’re in here.

ORLANDO: Oh, man.

VERONICA: Yeah, yeah, we didn’t have a very good season last time. Orlando and I, I don’t know if I’m exaggerating and say we had a little kinship because he went to law school in my home state of Mississippi, Mississippi College of Law, right?

ORLANDO: That’s true. Jackson, Mississippi.

VERONICA: And before law school, where’d you go to undergrad?

ORLANDO: Saint Francis in Pennsylvania.

VERONICA: In Pennsylvania.

VERONICA: You’ve always been a Bills fan then.

ORLANDO: Correct. OK. So Orlando has been in the law for more than three decades now, yes?

VERONICA: About 35 years. And how long of that at Montlake?

ORLANDO: 28 years.

VERONICA: 28 years. Clearly your home.

ORLANDO: Yes, exactly. It’s been a wonderful 28 years.

VERONICA: I know that you have won millions upon millions for your clients since you’ve been at Montlake in all of that time, and that you’re applauded for being able to explain really complex ideas and concepts to people in real terms to help navigate them through the legal process. People really talk, sort of applaud you for that.

ORLANDO: Correct. I think that’s something to live by. You know we try our best to admire to do that. And I think if you love what you do, you’re not working. It’s not a job. It’s something that you look forward to doing every day.

VERONICA: You’re a husband and a father, right? Are your kids grown yet?

ORLANDO: Well, it’s debatable. But yeah, they’re old enough to be a grown. I’ll say that. They’re 30 and almost 28, 24, and 21.

ORLANDO: Yeah, my second daughter, Elizabeth, is an attorney with Montlick.

VERONICA: What? Oh my gosh, you guys didn’t tell me. We got to get her in here.

ORLANDO: Oh, yeah. I think she’ll make an appearance soon, I believe. I love that.

VERONICA: I’d love to have the two of you on a show together.

ORLANDO: Sure. That would be great.

VERONICA: That’d be cool. So you are clearly in love with what you do. But I always want to know if you knew going into law that this field was where you would be or where you wanted to be?

VERONICA: Fulfilling. That is what we want. If you have to go to work every day, don’t you want your job to be fulfilling? Mr. Orlando Marra, Montlick Injury Attorney, thank you so much for being in the house. This is Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB. Today we’re talking about the two big letters.

ORLANDO: Correct. Right.

VERONICA: I guess we could add an I in there sometimes, the UIM. But let’s start off with. What is? We talk about this a lot on the show.

ORLANDO: Uninsured motorist coverage. And what it means, in effect, is that if the person who hit you either has no insurance or is underinsured, you’re able to use your uninsured or underinsured coverage. And we like to tell clients, it’s the one coverage you buy for yourself. You buy liability if you hurt somebody else. You buy property damage if the vehicle for the vehicle.

VERONICA: I think this is something that I like to point out because not everybody knows everything. And I believe I’ve said more than once on this show, when I first got my insurance years ago and there was a section for uninsured motorist coverage, I thought I was buying insurance for the other guy.

ORLANDO: Correct. And it is misunderstood, I believe, a lot. And I think it’s something that is not brought to the forefront enough. I mean, again, it’s extremely important to have that to protect yourself and your family. And there’s different types of uninsured.

VERONICA: Wow. They don’t have it or don’t understand that they do.

ORLANDO: Correct. Or don’t even understand what it is, like you mentioned. It’s something that needs to be emphasized much more than what we do now. I think it’s crucial.

ORLANDO: Correct. Yeah. Yeah.

VERONICA: So, in 2021, there were 28 million uninsured drivers in America.

ORLANDO: Correct. I think anytime between 12 and 15% at any one time are uninsured. And clearly, the uninsured motors would cover that.

VERONICA: Because you don’t know who they are. They’ve taken off from the scene.

ORLANDO: Correct.

VERONICA: Or they were doing something untoward in the car that they’re not trying to get in trouble for. So, what happens when you are hit by an uninsured driver? There are so many people on the roads around us. I had seen a statistic from a car insurance site that talked about how the odds of you getting into a wreck would happen every 17.9 years.

VERONICA: Then when you think about how frequent car crashes happen, there’s a good chance that somebody in that accident is not going to have either any insurance or the right insurance. And how do you deal with that when they come to you, Orlando?

ORLANDO: Well, it’s difficult because again, a lot of times we’ll hear I’m fully insured.

VERONICA: The minimum or the maximum would be 20,000.

VERONICA: Okay.

ORLANDO: Yeah. So the most you’re going to get, the maximum is 25,000 if you have a minimum coverage. The second number is the per accident. So no matter how many people are injured in the accident, the most they’re going to pay is $50,000.

VERONICA: So how do we inflate those numbers, particularly when you think about how expensive medical bills can be after an accident? Let’s get a little more into this. Full coverage versus minimum coverage when we come back here on Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB.

VERONICA: Welcome back to Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB. I’m Veronica Waters here with Montlick Injury Attorney Orlando Marra. We’re talking about uninsured motorist coverage. And it’s something that can help protect you and your well-being and your finances if you are in an accident through no fault of your own.

ORLANDO: Well, that’s a good question. I think a lot of times it comes from an insurance agent telling them the client or the prospective customer saying to them, “Am I fully insured? Am I covered?” And they’re saying, “Yes, you’re fully insured.” Meaning, I think a lot of times from insurance companies, you’re minimally insured.

VERONICA: No, so only $25,000. Was covered

VERONICA: and her bills exceeded $50,000 and she was significantly injured. Oh my gosh. So it was sad and he was livid. He just couldn’t believe he wasn’t really fully covered. He was minimally covered.

VERONICA: You’ve got a million-dollar policy.

ORLANDO: Correct. And no insurance that’s going to pay for your wife’s broken leg. Exactly. He came in to see us. He went from there to a new insurance agent. So, he just changed his whole coverage because he couldn’t believe that was the situation.

VERONICA: Was that guy in Georgia?

ORLANDO: Yes.

VERONICA: Okay. Now, Georgia does not require uninsured motorist coverage, right? ORLANDO: Correct. I think most states don’t. There are some that do. But for the most part, it isn’t required.

VERONICA: So if I’ve got a million dollars liability coverage, I could get a million dollars. Of uninsured,

ORLANDO: correct.

VERONICA: Of uninsured motorist coverage. But if I don’t want it at all on my policy, I have to sign a waiver to say.

ORLANDO: Correct. I don’t want it, and I’m waiving it. But remember that you are possibly doing harm to yourself.

ORLANDO: Correct.

VERONICA: The general whatever.

ORLANDO: Exactly.

VERONICA: Come help me out, folks. Talking about uninsured motorist coverage here on Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB. Stay with us.

ANNOUCNDER: You’re listening to our podcast, Lawyers in the House with Montlick. Join us 8:00 a.m. every Sunday on 95.5 WSB.

ORLANDO: Well, they’re a little different. The uninsured motors coverage means that the person who hits you has no insurance.

VERONICA:  I talked earlier in the show about my nephew Max and having this happen to him in Tennessee. Hit and run driver.

ORLANDO: Yeah, and most states have it, and most states are so much similar. In Georgia, specifically, you have to either have contact with the vehicle or a witness to be able to make a claim.
VERONICA: So, you can’t drive into a tree and say, oh, hit and run.

ORLANDO: Correct. It has to pass this. Some people want to say the smell test, but has to pass the test, you know, that this is a real thing.

ORLANDO: Exactly.

VERONICA: It was a lumber truck.

VERONICA: Okay.

ORLANDO: So those are the two. In most states, Tennessee is similar. You know we talked a little about that. Again, you have to have some kind of contact or a witness. In general, you’d like to get a police report as well. I mean, you minimally need at least a witness or contact, but you want to have the police come and at least memorialize what happened, and it helps you too with the claim later on.

ORLANDO: Not really. I think I would encourage you to call an attorney and talk about it because there are other alternatives.

VERONICA: Like collision coverage or something.

ORLANDO: Well, collision coverage would cover your vehicle, your own vehicles. That would cover that. And there are also other coverages available.

VERONICA: Oh, that’s great. Now, do people say, “I don’t want you doing it.”

ORLANDO: Well, yeah, they do.

VERONICA: They’re using my insurance.

ORLANDO: Exactly. They do a lot. And so, we have to talk to them and explain that it’s to the injured person’s advantage to use it.

ORLANDO: That’s exactly what it means. Stacking means you’re adding coverages together. And the term just is a term we use. But for example, if you’re in somebody else’s vehicle, like we said, yours comes first. Second is a resident relative because they’re most closely related with you. And third would be the vehicle that you were in. And you can stack all three of those coverages, and that happens a lot. If you could have and really what you look for is separate policies on each vehicle.

VERONICA: Does that make for a larger benefit to the injured person?

ORLANDO: Definitely. I mean, it’s huge because in the end, especially if there’s no coverage or a very minimal upfront and somebody is severely injured, you can stack all those coverages together.

VERONICA: In 28 years at Montlake, I know you had some great successes with this kind of thing. Give me some examples of some victories that you’ve had on behalf of your clients.

ORLANDO: Sure.

VERONICA: Selection rejection, okay?

ORALNDO: Correct. Which means that basically says the insurance company had told this particular client, “You could have as much uninsured motors coverage as you have liability, but you’re choosing to take less.” I don’t know if they always explain it to them like that.

VERONICA: That is huge to go from a potential max of $75,000 to $325,000. That’s incredible. And you’re right. It can just give you so much more breathing room while you’re getting well.

ORLANDO: Yes, correct. I mean, every state’s a little different. And if you have your uninsured motors coverage, because you would get it from the states you live in, so those rules would apply. So as far as the liability may be different in different states, but as far as your own uninsured motors coverage goes, you’re good anywhere in the country.

VERONCIA: Oh, wow. That is so that’s a relief to know. That is a relief to know. I’m going to make sure that I check my limits again, too, to make sure it doesn’t hurt to make sure they’re up to speed. Now, I’m assuming or tell me if I’m wrong. Do I have to be driving to use my uninsured motorist coverage or?

ORLANDO: No, not at all. You could be, you could be a pedestrian.

VERONICA: What?

VERONICA:  If I’m a passenger.

ORLANDO: Passengers, exactly the same thing.

ORLANDO: Zero usable uninsured motorists.

VERONICA: Zero usable for uninsured motorists. That is just heartbreaking, so heartbreaking. You think that you’re doing the right thing. We’re making sure that we’re and in Georgia, as we sit here today, it is a law that you’re supposed to be insured.

ORLANDO: Correct.

VERONICA: You just don’t have to get uninsured motorists. Can you get a ticket?

ORLANDO: If you’re an insurance, it is ticketable. You definitely will get a ticket. And it depends on the extent of it and what your history was, you could be arrested as well for not having insurance on your vehicle.

VERONICA: Is it expensive to add it to my policy?

ORLANDO: Not at all. I think, first of all, you almost have to have it. I think it would be a risk not to.

VERONICA: It’s almost like putting a limit on what I’m willing to give myself.

ORLANDO: Correct.

ORLANDO:  Like we talked about before, it’s a one coverage you buy for yourself.

VERONICA: Because it can pay out so much considering how many people are uninsured on the roads. A lot more people might need it than not.

VERONICA: Yeah. So over the course of your nearly three decades at Montlick how many folks would you say on average percentage of folks who come to you with enough insurance coverage?

ORLANDO: Not a lot.

VERONICA: Wow.

ORLANDO: I hate to say that. I mean, because I don’t think people realize what’s available to them and really sit down with the assurance agent to understand it until they’re in an accident. And once the accident happens, they learn.

ORLANDO:  mean, I think it’s something that’s important to if you’re going to drive, especially in busy cities, accidents happen, you’ve got to be covered.

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ORLANDO: Well, I think it’s important to ensure your future. In other words, you need to be able to be covered for yourself.

VERONICA: Yeah. Helping me find out what I have can really come with the help of somebody like you, getting the right attorney.

ORLANDO: Yes, yes it can.

VERONICA: Yeah, get somebody who knows what the heck they’re doing. Does Montlick have a rep, you think, with the insurance companies at this point?

ORLANDO: I think so.

VERONICA: Not just take the first lowball offer that comes your way? Certainly not. No. Thank you so much to Orlando Marra Montlick Injury Attorney talking about uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. We got some really good gyms today. Thank you so much. Thank you. I think we should all think of. Think of uninsured motorist coverage like you’re a boxer or just a regular Jane or Joe who is learning some self-defense.