Borrowing a car, truck, or motorcycle doesn't sacrifice your rights to a settlement if you're hurt in a South Carolina car accident. In fact, you may be better off due to how South Carolina insurance laws work.
I’m a Spartanburg, South Carolina car accident attorney, and I'm here to help you. Download the FREE book I wrote about South Carolina car accident cases. If you need questions answered or want to talk to a lawyer, you can contact me by live chat, by filling out a Get Help Now Form, or by calling toll-free at 888-230-1841.
Here are the basics on claims for South Carolina car accident victims who get hurt driving someone else's vehicle.
Does Auto Insurance Cover Me in a South Carolina Car Accident If I Borrow Someone's Car?
Yes, it does. There are no limitations on your South Carolina car accident settlement rights because you borrowed a car. The at-fault driver’s liability insurance pays your car accident settlement. A settlement can cover your medical bills, lost income, damage to your marriage, and pain and suffering.
Hiring an experienced South Carolina car accident attorney to handle your passenger insurance claim can protect you from insurance adjuster tactics to get you to take a lowball insurance settlement.
What if I’m Injured by a Car With No Insurance?
In South Carolina, if you borrow a car and get hurt in a car accident by a driver with no insurance, you can use a type of coverage on the car owner’s policy called uninsurance.
You might be able to access multiple uninsurance policies to pay a settlement if you're seriously hurt and you are a blood relative of the car owner and live with them. This is a complex legal process called stacking. Even if you can't stack, you can access your own uninsurance if the car owner's uninsurance isn't enough to pay a settlement.
A real shocker comes with using uninsurance. Understand this: when you are forced to turn to uninsurance, your own insurance company turns against you, defending the uninsured driver like their own. The insurance company won't help even though the crash wasn't your fault, and you might desperately need a settlement. They might not even tell you how much coverage is available without you making a specific legal request.
When you make an uninsured claim, it's almost worse because a “friend” becomes a foe. That's why it's best to get legal advice from an experienced South Carolina car accident attorney before taking on uninsurance. Feel free to call me toll-free at 888-230-1841.
If You Borrow a Car and Get Hurt in a South Carolina Car Accident, You Might Get a Bigger Settlement From an Unexpected Source
If liability insurance isn't enough to pay your settlement, you can use coverage called underinsurance, if it's available.
It's complicated, but the coverage comes from the car you rode in and your own policy. Here's how we made it work for a couple of clients who were passengers, which is legally similar to borrowing a vehicle:
- Spartanburg County Underinsurance Car Accident Settlement for Passenger
- Greenville County Underinsurance Car Accident Settlement for Child Passengers
Just like an uninsurance claim, victims who turn to their own policy for an underinsurance settlement witness their own insurance company turn against them. Your insurance company won't even reach out to you to offer help. Because that could cost them money—no matter how badly you or your family need it.
If you are severely injured in a South Carolina car accident, a key reason to get an experienced South Carolina car accident attorney is to protect your rights from your own insurance company. Having a professional on your side to handle insurance company delays and deception can help you get the South Carolina car accident settlement you deserve. Call us toll-free at 888-230-1841 to get your questions answered and find out if it's worth it for you to let us take over.
How Do I Pay Medical Bills if I’m Hit in a South Carolina Car Accident Driving Someone Else’s Car?
This may surprise you—if you've got health insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid, use it. You'll have to repay it in a process called subrogation. But we are usually able to reduce what you repay, which helps you get more money in your pocket.
Don't be fooled: using health insurance is a way better deal than giving providers direct repayment from your settlement. That’s called a “settlement lien.” The repayment can be dramatically higher. If a provider tries to insist on a lien, politely tell them, “This is what health insurance is for. Please pay the bills with it.”
Don't Get Taken Advantage of Because You Didn't Know Better
The auto insurance company has one goal: keep its money by keeping it from you. There's no such thing for them as stooping too low to prevent a cheap settlement for seriously injured victims who really need it.
If you're seriously hurt, there are plenty of reasons you need a South Carolina car accident lawyer. Chief among them is not knowing what your claim is worth. Let me dispel some fake news by telling you there is NO South Carolina pain and suffering calculator. Figuring out what your human loss amounts to is a complicated process requiring a professional. Don't leave that and other aspects of your insurance settlement up to an amateur.
This is your only chance to do your case right. Don't shortchange yourself or your family. Get some help.
Call toll-free at 888-230-1841 or fill out a Get Help Now Form to get your questions answered in a FREE, NO PRESSURE strategy session with a Spartanburg, South Carolina, car accident attorney.
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