Post Date: August 13th, 2009
This past Monday night, Nevada, MO teenager Sable Kennedy was seriously injured in what is reported as a one car accident. The pickup truck in which she was riding was driven by Thomas Millirons. Initial reports are that the pickup truck ran off the road and hit a culvert. The crash happened at approximately 9:26pm on Overland Road. There are no reports on Thomas’ injuries (or whether he suffered any). However, Sable was taken to Nevada Regional Medical Center for her injuries. It is further reported that neither was wearing their seatbelt at the time of the car wreck.
As a Missouri Car Accident Attorney, this story raises a number of issues to address. First, it is unknown what caused Thomas to lose control of the car. But if this was an incident where another car negligently caused them to lose control, then Sable would have a claim against her uninsured motorist coverage for the negligence of the unknown driver. Everyone with car insurance has mandatory uninsured motorist coverage which will compensate you for your injuries when the person who caused the wreck did not have insurance or you don’t know who they were (hit-and-run). As Sable was 16 at the time, she may have her own policy of car insurance. Or she may be covered under her parent’s policy. If that was the case she could still use their uninsured motorist coverage. In addition to that, she could also use Thomas’ uninsured motorist coverage since she was riding in his car.
However, if there was no other car involved, obviously she has no claim to uninsured motorist coverage. But, since she was the passenger, she does have a claim against Thomas. Presumably the two were friends. As a Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer, I know that some people don’t like the thought of brining a claim against their friend. But the truth of the matter is that the claim is really with the insurance company and the negligent parties have little knowledge of what’s going on with the claim.
Now, let’s assume that Sable’s injuries are so serious that they her case is worth more than the amount of insurance than Thomas has. In these cases, a Nevada car accident lawyer would settle the case with Thomas’ insurance for the policy limits – it should be done shortly after collecting the medical records – and then would proceed against Sable’s underinsured motorist coverage. Uninsured motorist coverage does not automatically come with everyone’s insurance policy. It is something you have to specifically request and pay for. So, a great car accident lawyer would examine all possible insurance policies to see if they have underinsured motorist coverage.
Josh Myers is President of Myers Injury Law LLC. He is a Missouri Car Accident Lawyer specializing in serious car accidents. He handles these types of cases all over the state of Missouri and Illinois. If you have been injured in a car wreck and would like to speak with Missouri Auto Accident Attorney Josh Myers, call him for free at 888-956-2487. It’s always free to talk about your case and there is never any fee unless and until we settle your case.
Tags: Car Accident, nevada, underinsured motorist, Uninsured motorist
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