no auto insurance accident

Had An Accident? No Auto Insurance? Here’s What To Do

A car accident is a horrifying event. You may suffer severe injuries causing you to spend days or even months in hospital. If you are lucky enough to escape unscathed, your car may be damaged. These damages can total thousands of dollars.

If you have auto insurance, your insurer will be able to cover the costs of personal injury and damage to property within the extents of your coverage. However, if you have no auto insurance, things could get very murky. You stand to lose your driver’s license for several months, have your car impounded, pay hefty fines and even pay for any injuries to persons or property that you caused if you were wholly or partly at fault. If you were involved in a car accident and you do not have auto insurance, the first thing you need to do is contact a Texas automobile accidents attorney. The sooner you do that the better.

What To Do When You Are in an Accident But Don’t Have Auto Insurance?

Texas law requires all drivers to have auto insurance before getting behind the wheel. It’s part of the state’s financial responsibility laws. However, not every driver in Texas is insured. In fact, statistics show that 20 percent of the states’ drivers are uninsured.

If you have been involved in a car accident but you do not have insurance, stop at the scene to ensure the other driver and his/her passengers are okay. If anyone requires medical assistance, make arrangements for them to get to hospital. Call 911 and request an ambulance. Furnish the operator with sufficient details about where the accident has taken place and the conditions of the people involved in it.

If the other driver is fine, he or she will likely ask for your name, driver’s license, car registration number and auto insurance policy number. If the other driver has uninsured motor vehicle accident cover, that driver’s insurer will pay for personal injuries or property damage arising from the accident, to the extent of the cover’s limits.

Be as cooperative as possible. However, do not admit liability even if you think you were partly or wholly at fault. In fact do not admit liability to anyone, not even the police. And this is important, if you admit liability, the court can hold you liable for the repair of the other driver’s car and for any pain and suffering or out-of-pocket expenses the other drive may have incurred. If the police report states the other party was at fault, that driver’s insurance will have to pay for the damages to your vehicle and all you’ll have to pay is a fine for driving without insurance.

Where the Police Come In

Texas law requires drivers to inform the police whenever serious accidents likely to cause injury to persons or severe damage to property occur. When the police arrive, they will ask for your name, driver’s license and proof of auto insurance coverage. If you do not carry coverage, this is where you really need an attorney.

Driving without insurance in Texas is prohibited. If you were involved in an automobile accident and you had no insurance, you face hefty fines, the suspension of your driving license for up to two years and the impoundment of your vehicle. The impoundment will last a minimum of 180 days and at $15 per day, impoundment charges could total $2,700, at the very least.

If you are adjudged at fault for an accident that resulted in serious injury or death, you face $4,000 in fines or a year in prison. In addition you will have to pay for all physical injuries and property damage from the accident. All these could cost you tens of thousands of dollars.

Do not take your chance with the system. Contact the Texas automobile accident attorneys at The Tony Nguyen Law Firm today if you are involved in a car accident and you have no insurance. It could save you from jail time or thousands in penalties.

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