Oklahoma Auto Accident Lawyers

After a crash, most people focus on the other driver's insurance. But three types of coverage on your own auto policy can matter just as much, especially in Oklahoma, where a large share of drivers carry no insurance or only the state minimum. Here is what each one does and when it applies.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Uninsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries when the driver who caused the crash has no liability insurance, or when you are hurt in a hit and run and the driver is never identified.

Oklahoma consistently ranks among the states with the highest percentage of uninsured drivers. If one of them causes your crash, there may be no liability policy to pay your medical bills, lost wages, or pain and suffering. UM coverage on your own policy steps into that gap and pays what the at fault driver's insurance should have.

Under Oklahoma law, insurers are required to offer UM coverage when they sell an auto policy. You can reject it, but the rejection generally must be in writing. If your insurer cannot produce a valid written rejection, UM coverage may exist on your policy even if you do not remember buying it. It is always worth checking your declarations page.

Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Underinsured motorist coverage applies when the at fault driver has insurance, but not enough to cover the full extent of your injuries and losses.

Oklahoma's minimum liability limits are low. A driver carrying only the state minimum has coverage that can be used up by a single ambulance ride and a short hospital stay. When your damages exceed the at fault driver's limits, UIM coverage on your own policy makes up the difference, up to your UIM limit.

There is an important step here that can make or break a UIM claim. Many policies require you to notify your own insurer and get its consent before you settle with the at fault driver. Settling first, without that consent, can wipe out your right to UIM benefits. If you are approaching a settlement with the other driver's insurer, talk to a lawyer before you sign anything.

Medical Payments Coverage

Medical payments coverage, or med pay, pays medical bills from a crash regardless of who was at fault, and usually pays quickly.

Med pay is no fault coverage. It does not matter whether you caused the accident or the other driver did. It covers reasonable medical expenses for you and your passengers, often including emergency treatment, hospital stays, doctor visits, and sometimes related costs, up to the med pay limit on your policy.

Its biggest advantage is speed. While liability and UM claims can take months to resolve, med pay can help cover bills right away, when they are actually coming due. It works alongside your other coverage, not instead of it, so using med pay does not prevent you from also pursuing the at fault driver or a UM or UIM claim.