What Happens if You Wreck Someone Else's Car Uninsured in Miami?

Our experienced attorneys know the dos and don’ts of car accidents, including what happens if you wreck someone else’s car without insurance. First of all, you should never drive a car without being properly insured. However, we understand that circumstances can put you in dangerous situations.

Of course, sometimes when people ask this question, what they mean is that the other person doesn’t have insurance. After all, while you may not be responsible for the car wreck, getting fair compensation for accidents that involve an uninsured driver can be more challenging than the average accident.

However, if you have been involved in a car wreck and either party was uninsured, you have come to the right place. 

The first thing you need to do is consult with a car accident lawyer right away. Your financial future could depend on the outcome of this case, and a car accident lawyer will do everything they can to protect you.

If you have been involved in a car accident that involves an uninsured driver, contact a Morgan & Morgan attorney as soon as possible to schedule a free case evaluation. Our team is ready to help you through this difficult time by handling your legal needs.

Reasons People Drive Without Insurance

Even though it is illegal to drive a car without insurance, millions of people do it anyway. Sometimes, they may not even be aware that they are driving without insurance. Some of the most common reasons people drive without insurance are as follows:

An Emergency

The best reason to drive without insurance is some type of emergency. Suppose that you need to get someone to the hospital, for example, and the only viable option is an uninsured vehicle. In that case, you are probably justified in driving a car without insurance.

However, just because the situation might be justified doesn’t mean you won’t suffer consequences if you get into a car wreck. If some sort of emergency forces you to drive without insurance, you should drive extremely carefully. The emergency will only get worse if you get in a car accident.

Also, remember that car insurance typically follows the car, not the driver. So just because you don’t have car insurance doesn’t mean the vehicle you are driving is uninsured. If your friend breaks their leg, you should be able to safely borrow their car to drive them to the hospital and still be insured, even if you don’t have your own insured vehicle.

Mistakes

Sometimes, people drive without insurance because they believe they are insured and are wrong. This is most likely to happen when changing insurance policies. If, for some reason, one policy ends before the other starts, the driver could be driving uninsured and be completely unaware.

Another situation that can result in accidentally driving uninsured is renting a car. Typically, when you rent a car, you either choose to use your personal insurance policy or one provided by the rental company. But not all insurance policies cover rental cars, and that can create problems.

If you think your policy covers a rental and don’t take the policy offered by the rental company, you could be accidentally driving an uninsured vehicle. You should speak to your insurance agent before renting any vehicles and be very careful to avoid a mistake.

Failure to Pay

If you don’t pay for your insurance policy, the insurer won’t honor it. Many insurance companies cancel policies the moment you are even one day delinquent with payments. This means that even if you pay a few days later, you will have had a lapse in your policy.

Hopefully, if this happens, you don’t get into an accident during the lapse. But if you do, you won’t be covered. If this happens to you, contact a car accident lawyer at Morgan and Morgan immediately to determine your options.

The best way to avoid lapses in car insurance is to sign up for some form of autopay with your insurance company. Your policy will be paid for automatically through a credit card or your financial institution. This means that forgetfulness will never end up with you not having insurance when you think you do.

The Cost of Insurance

Unfortunately, insurance policies are usually quite expensive. Even the cheapest policy will cost several hundred dollars per year. Not everyone can afford that cost, even if they can afford to own a car.

But just because someone can’t afford insurance doesn’t mean they can live without reliable transportation. The result of this situation is someone risking driving without car insurance.

If you find yourself struggling to pay for car insurance, some resources can help you get inexpensive insurance or help you pay for your insurance. Contact an attorney at Morgan & Morgan, and we’ll direct you to those resources. We don’t want anyone driving without insurance if we can do anything to prevent it.

Suspended License

If your license has been suspended, many insurance companies will not insure a vehicle in your name. Typically, laws don’t prevent you from getting insurance, but they don’t require insurers to sell you insurance either.

Driving with a suspended license and no insurance could put you in an even worse situation than just driving without insurance. If you get into an accident, you could potentially face criminal charges.

If you have a suspended license and got into an accident while driving without insurance, speak to a car accident lawyer at Morgan and Morgan to learn about your options. A car accident lawyer can help you defend your rights and fight on your behalf in court.

Insurance Consequences for Getting Into a Car Wreck While Uninsured

Regardless of who was responsible for a car accident, if you drive while uninsured, you might face criminal consequences for a wreck. A good attorney can mitigate these, but you could expect to pay fines or be placed on probation, at a minimum.

The financial consequences of being in a car accident while uninsured depend on who was responsible for the crash. 

If you are responsible for an accident, the other driver will have their medical expenses and car repair costs covered by their uninsured driver policy. They still might have the right to sue you for additional expenses or punitive damages, but typically, they are fully covered in this situation.

However, you will likely be completely financially responsible for your medical bills and for repairing your vehicle. If you have medical insurance, you might be able to get it to pay for some medical costs, but that will depend on the specifics of your policy.

Conversely, though, if the other driver is responsible for the accident, you may be covered by their insurance policy. Laws differ from state to state. In some states, you may not be eligible to get compensated because you were driving uninsured. But most of the time, you will get compensation because the other party was liable.

Finally, you can’t purchase insurance after the fact to cover an accident you were already involved in. Insurance policies only cover accidents that happen after they have been purchased.

Furthermore, if you have an uninsured accident on your record, you may find it almost impossible to purchase insurance later. Many companies will refuse to sell to you or will charge you significantly higher prices than other drivers to get insurance.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer as Soon as Possible

If you have caused a car wreck while uninsured, the first thing you should do is contact a car accident lawyer. You could potentially be liable for thousands of dollars in expenses, and you could even be facing a lawsuit. Even if the other insurance company pays for the other driver’s damages, it might sue you to recoup losses.

Typically, there are a lot of victim services to help the other driver in this type of accident. While there are limited options after getting into a car accident while uninsured, that doesn’t mean there are no services or assistance available to you.

An experienced and compassionate car accident lawyer will advocate for you and protect your rights. You can trust your attorney to investigate your situation carefully and build a case on your behalf. 

Causing a car accident while driving without insurance can put you at significant risk of financial and legal consequences. Your lawyer will do everything possible to help you reach a solution that protects your freedom and financial health.

What Not to Do After a Car Wreck if You Don’t Have Insurance

While getting into a car accident if you don’t have insurance is serious, it can be a lot worse. Here are common mistakes that people in this situation make that you should avoid:

• Fleeing the scene of the accident
• Not informing the police
• Lying to the police
• Providing false contact information to other drivers

Any of these actions will make an already bad situation much worse and could end up with you going to jail. Contact a car accident lawyer as soon as possible if you are involved in a car wreck without insurance. They can advise you on how to proceed and can speak on your behalf to insurance companies.