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  • Writer's pictureBrad Keating

My Car Insurance Lapsed, and I Had an Accident

Updated: Jan 17

Everyone needs to be prepared for dangerous situations or things that could take a lot of money from them. Therefore, it's always a good idea to have decent car insurance and an insurance policy that helps victims get compensation after a car crash.


Not having a decent insurance policy that protects victims in those cases can lead people to lose tons of money. When people go through a car insurance lapse, they are completely defenseless against insurance claims and lost wages due to car accidents.


The reason for that is insurance companies don't give people any kind of coverage if their car insurance lapses. Therefore, victims have to pay everything off their budget, which can end up being highly expensive.


Not many people know what happens when their car insurance lapses, so they feel lost when they go through a situation when they would require an insurance company to step in. This article has all the information people need about what happens when their car insurance lapses.


Anyone involved in an accident needs a car accident lawyer that takes care of everything and gives them proper legal advice on the situation. However, finding competent legal counsel is not easy at all, so many people end up hiring unqualified car accident lawyers. Fortunately, there's always an option available for victims with a lapsed insurance policy.


The Keating Law Firm is full of personal injury attorneys who can help clients in the best way possible and for a reasonable price. This company also offers a free consultation for their customers' cases, so people can call them any time they need to.


What Happens When an Insurance Policy Lapses?

What Happens When an Insurance Policy Lapses?


Well, if someone wants to know what happens if they have a car accident during a car insurance lapse, they first need to know what it means when their car insurance lapses.


If someone's car insurance lapses, people have to do everything in their hands to keep that person from causing any further problems. Since that person's car insurance policy lapsed, they are no longer protected by the insurance company in case an accident happens.


It doesn't matter if the victim of the accident is the one who caused it since victims are liable for their own problems if they go through a car accident after their car insurance lapsed. Being liable for it means they have to pay for everything, and that applies, too, if the vehicle damaged any other person apart from the other driver.


Even if no one was injured, the liable party still needs to pay for what happened without going away. As a matter of fact, going to another place after causing or being part of an accident can lead the police to think that person is running away from them, which is considered suspicious activity.


Apart from that, if someone is not the victim of the car accident but the one who caused it instead, they have to pay for all the compensation the victims ask for. Well, in these cases, laws are the same since the victim can decide if they want to sue the driver or not.


If the victim does sue the liable party, they can negotiate as they would if the insurance company were there. The liable driver can even make a counter-offer and hire a personal injury lawyer. However, since there's not any kind of insurance coverage for the victim, the liable driver -whose car auto insurance has lapsed- needs to pay for everything.


Paying everything out of the liable party's budget is the main issue of it all. In a normal situation, if it was the other driver's fault, the state law would require the auto insurance company to pay for any medical expense, lost wages, and pain and suffering claim caused by the accident. That's not an inexpensive thing to cover.


People could say that the law doesn't require them to legally carry car insurance, and that's technically true, but it's too difficult for someone with lapsed insurance to give lapsed insurance coverage to a victim in a car accident.


Do Insurance Companies Help People Get Car Insurance Coverage When Their Insurance Lapses?


The short answer is no. When an auto insurance policy lapses, the insurance company doesn't help drivers with anything related to car accidents or paying another person. All the consequences that happen when the victim or the other driver's insurance company lapses take effect immediately even if it's just the day after the insurance lapsed.


Many people would think that a car accident lawyer could help the at-fault driver receive help from the insurance carrier, but it doesn't work that way.


At-fault drivers don't have many legal options in these situations, and that worsens if the accident happens in a fault state. However, since car accident laws are the same whether insurance carriers are there or not, the liable driver can ask for a free consultation of their case and try to win the case against the other driver.


In the best-case scenario, uninsured drivers win the case and don't have to pay for any vehicle damage. However, they have to hire the best lawyer they can find while they have a suspended license. The Keating Law Firm is ready to help them.


Is Getting Reinstated into an Insurance Company Worth It?


Absolutely! Everyone needs insurance coverage at least once in their lives, and not having it can put anyone in an ordeal.


It's not easy to cover other people's compensation after a car accident. Therefore, insured people always have their insurance companies pay for everything. Needless to say, uninsured drivers have to be more cautious than ever while driving or at least take care until they can get insured again.


Paying for a car accident claim can make someone lose all their money and still be in debt, depending on how severe the damage the other person received was. If someone can't pay for everything right away, the victim can complain about receiving a late payment, which could lead the person liable party to face jail time if they keep doing it. This is especially the case if the victim has an injury, such as delayed rib pain after car accident.


The only problem with getting reinstated into insurance companies is that it's way more expensive for people with lapsed insurance to get their insurance back. Many people say that's unfair, and it is, but they still have to pay for that if they want to get insurance coverage benefits back.


Can Lawyers Help If the Insurance Coverage Lapsed?

Can Lawyers Help If the Insurance Coverage Lapsed?


It depends on what the person asking considers as helping. Lawyers can't help people pay for another person's compensation or get their insurance representative to pay for everything again. However, they can help people seek compensation and defend themselves from the other driver's claims.


When someone doesn't have their own insurance company to help them and doesn't have the funds to face that kind of financial responsibility, either, their last resource is to win the case against the person suing them.


Doing that it's not easy and requires people to follow a complex process. Fortunately, a Columbus motor vehicle accident attorney can help people willing to go through that process. The Keating Law Firm aims to help anyone involved in a car accident, so the only thing people have to do to hire it is to contact it to get a free case evaluation.


Conclusion


As this article showed, having a missed payment in one's insurance policies could lead to going out of the grace period established by the insurance company. If that happens, the insurance company can lapse and therefore leave that person on their own when they need to provide coverage after a car accident.


Paying for all that is no easy task, so people should analyze the accident scene and do what they can to win the case. The first thing drivers need to do after a car accident is write down the other driver's license plate and insurance information if possible.


After that, they can take pictures of what happened and show them to the police officers who arrive at the scene. Speaking about a more legal matter, drivers can state that the other party in the accident is personally liable for what happened and is filing a fraudulent claim.


Regardless of that, it's best for everyone to pay a reinstatement fee and recover their insurance card. Doing that makes everyone recover insurance benefits such as backdate coverage, new coverage of property damage, and even some renewal options each time a new policy comes out.


Whether it's the liable driver without insurance or the people who seek payment for an accident another driver caused, the Keating Law Firm is always available for them. This law firm is ready to take legal action against any driver who wants its client to pay for anything related to car accidents.


The company's lawyers can also help the victim while they are gathering evidence and file lawsuits against other drivers to receive compensation payment to pay for medical expenses and other costs.


No one should hesitate to call it! The Keating Law Firm offers a free case consultation with a motor vehicle accident attorney for car accident cases. It's also good for uninsured people to call their insurers to get their insurance policy reinstated.

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