St. Louis Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist Attorney
Making certain that the coverage you bought and paid for works for you after your personal injury from a collision
When you most need an insurance company, it can turn against you. Even when you’ve been badly hurt in a collision, some insurers will go all the way to trial to avoid paying on your policy. The personal injury lawyer of the DeVoto Law Firm fights back to force your insurance company to honor its obligation. We have extensive experience in car collisions and trucking crash, including litigation over uninsured motorist or underinsured motorist policies.
What if the negligent driver can’t pay?
There are two main parts to your auto insurance policy:
- Liability insurance — This pays out to the other driver if your negligence caused his or her injury
- Uninsured motorist or underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) — This covers your losses if the other driver was at fault but has no insurance or too little liability insurance
Scenario #1: The other party was driving without insurance. Your uninsured motorist policy pays all of your damages caused by injuries up to its limits.
Scenario #2: The negligent driver has insurance, but your losses exceed his or her coverage limit. Your underinsured motorist policy (depending upon how it is written) can pick up the difference or at least cover up to the policy limits.
Scenario #3: Your losses are greater than the limits of your UM insurance. Missouri allows “stacking” — each vehicle you own is insured for the UM policy limit, and you can combine these coverages.
(Please note that in many instances, UIM coverage cannot be stacked.)
What if your insurance company won’t pay?
Theoretically, you are fully covered in each of the above scenarios. In reality, insurance companies routinely try to deny or limit uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist claims. They may not inform you of your right to stack coverage — or argue that you can’t.
Uninsured or underinsured litigation is tricky, especially if multiple drivers are involved (some with insurance, some without). Your auto collision attorney must be familiar with the case law and able to interpret insurance policies. With more than 40 years of experience, trial lawyer Tom DeVoto can determine when UM/UIM applies and whether it should cover all your losses. If your insurer won’t settle the claim, Mr. DeVoto prepares for trial to convince a jury that the policy and the insurance laws of Missouri are on your side.
Contact a knowledgeable St. Louis underinsured motorist attorney
Contact the DeVoto Law Firm for a free initial consultation. We can handle every aspect of your car collision case and even represent you in your uninsured or underinsured coverage dispute. Call us at 314-961-0330 or contact our St. Louis office online.
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The Injured Person's Best Guide to Accident Cases in Missouri. Click to view the book or call our office to order your copy.
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Testimonials
Tom has represented me on a couple of matters.. Two worker's compensation cases and the accidents that caused my work injuries. He handled my cases quickly and efficiently and although they were not big cases he handled them like they were important cases. If any of my friends or co-workers get injured, I always give them Tom's name.
- O.B.
I was in an industrial accident, stairway collapse, and Tom handled my case against the owner of the building. When the topic of settlement came up before the start of the trial the defense lawyer mentioned a small amount, Later, Tom and I were in the elevator with the defense lawyer and Tom looked at him and said, you're going down. Watching Tom try my case and object and control the evidence was great. The jury gave Tom every single penny that he asked for. Tom and I stay in touch. I call him Big Tom.
Alan C.
"For nearly two decades, Thomas C. DeVoto has made substantial contributions to the continuing legal education of Missouri’s attorneys by sharing his experience and knowledge at various Missouri Bar CLE programs."
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