Uninsured Motorist Lawyer in Raytown
UM and UIM aren't the same coverage. One is required by law, and the other you may or may not have.
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Uninsured motorist coverage, UM, comes standard on every Missouri auto policy. Underinsured motorist coverage, UIM, is a separate add-on that not every driver bought.
UM coverage: already on every Missouri policy
Part of every premium you have paid went to uninsured-motorist coverage. Missouri wrote it into the policy. State law pegs it at 25/50 or better, mirroring the liability minimums, and no insurer selling a policy here can leave it out. You may never have thought about it until now, but it’s been sitting on your policy the whole time.
UIM coverage: optional in Missouri
UIM works differently. Missouri’s own consumer guide lists it as optional, something a driver has to choose and pay extra for. It fills a real gap: the space between what an at-fault driver’s thin policy pays out and what your actual loss adds up to. Without it, that gap comes straight out of your own pocket.
When UM applies and when UIM applies
UM steps up for the driver carrying nothing, and for the driver who never stopped long enough to be identified. UIM steps up when insurance exists but the limits quit early. Neither one requires you to prove anything against a driver who has no assets worth chasing. Both run through your own insurer instead.
Filing a claim against your own insurer
Turning to your own policy changes the relationship: the company that mailed you renewal notices is now across the table in a negotiation. Your own carrier can dispute how serious your injury is, or argue about how much of the crash was your own fault, exactly as the opposing carrier might have. Missouri’s pure comparative rule still applies here too, trimming a payout by your own share rather than blocking it outright.
Where this fits in a wider claim
A hit-and-run is one of the clearest UM scenarios there is, since nobody’s insurance is on the table without it. The car wreck page wrangles the wider claims process this fits inside, and the case-worth guide trawls through how UM and UIM benefits get sized once a claim moves forward.
Common questions
Do I have to have bought UM coverage on purpose?
No. Missouri builds a minimum amount into every auto liability policy sold here. You've had it since your policy started, whether you asked for it or not.
What if their insurance exists but runs thin?
That's underinsured territory rather than uninsured. UIM bridges the shortfall a small policy leaves behind, but only if you carry UIM yourself.
Do I even know if I have UIM?
Your policy paperwork lists it if you have it, and your agent can say in one call. Unlike UM, Missouri doesn't force insurers to sell it, so plenty of drivers never added it.
Could using my own coverage cost me at renewal?
That's governed by your insurer's practices, not by the coverage itself. Put the question to your agent instead of assuming an answer.
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Learn more →Car Wreck Lawyer
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Learn more →Distracted Driving
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Learn more →See if you have a case — free
Answer a few quick questions. If your case qualifies, an independent attorney who serves Raytown can review it at no cost.
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