If the person at fault does not have insurance at the time of the accident what are the steps that are taken in regard to fixing the damaged vehicle?

Answer 1

First of all, it is important to know what state you are in, because some states will offer BOTH Collision coverage AND Uninsured Motorist coverages, but in some states, you are not able to carry BOTH. For instance, in Texas, you can carry both, in Ohio and many other states, you must carry one or the other. If it is a certainty that the At Fault driver does not have ANY insurance available to them, you will need to turn to your own coverage. If you carry UM coverages (uninsured motorist property damage/UMPD), and your carrier confirms there is no coverage on the at fault vehicle OR driver, the UMPD coverage steps in and 'acts as' the other party's Property Damage coverage. You will pay the first $200-300 of the claim (typically, $250, but varies by state. THIS IS NOT A DEDUCTIBLE. The reason it is important to note that is, a deductible (used in collision coverage) allows you to choose the AMOUNT; your premiums will be affected by the amount of your deductible. That option is NOT available under UM coverages. If you or any passengers are injured, you can also avail yourself of any UMBI coverages. Again, this steps in and handles all injury claims that may arise in YOUR vehicle, resulting from this accident. If you do NOT have UM coverages, but have collision coverage, you can use that coverage. YOUR insurance carrier will attempt to recover any monies paid out and will reimburse you any deductibles that you incurred. If you do not have EITHER of these coverages (and you SHOULD always carry one or the other or both), you can try to recover any monies YOU personally pay out in direct relation to this accident in small claims court.