Car crashes are an inevitable side effect of motor vehicle travel. Collisions will occur when thousands of people travel through a municipality on any given day. Humans make mistakes, and vehicle components can sometimes fail. Occasionally, even the most safety-conscious driver can make a mistake that causes a crash. Although the majority of collisions are minor, some of them are more serious. People’s vehicles may have such serious damage that they are no longer safe to drive. Crashes can also cause injuries to vehicle occupants that can range from minor to extreme.
Occasionally, those involved in a serious Indiana collision will file a lawsuit against the driver at fault for the crash. Why do people file personal injury lawsuits after a car wreck?
The driver at fault has no insurance
Technically, Indiana law requires liability insurance. Most insurance professionals also recommend that people invest in additional coverage, including uninsured motorists protection. Unfortunately, there will always be a small fraction of the population that refuses to comply with those rules. As of 2019, an estimated 15.8% of drivers were on the road without insurance in Indiana.
People never know if the individual who causes a wreck has proper coverage and could struggle to cover their expenses without it. Unless someone has uninsured driver coverage on their own policy, the only way to pay for crash expenses may be to file a lawsuit against the uninsured driver. Even if someone has uninsured motorist coverage, they would likely have higher insurance premiums in the future if they make a claim against their own policy.
The crash causes severe injury or death
Even if a driver has insurance, they may not have enough coverage to appropriately reimburse the other parties involved in a wreck. Crashes can cause catastrophic injuries that cost someone hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses and lost wages. The coverage available through the policy of the at-fault driver may not be enough to fully reimburse those affected by the collision. Anytime a wreck produces expenses that insurance won’t cover, those affected by the negligence or misconduct of others may need to contemplate a personal injury lawsuit.
Filing a lawsuit can compensate people for financial expenses and create consequences for a driver who caused serious injury to others. Seeking legal guidance when filing lawsuit becomes necessary is generally wise.