At Holland & Usry, we consider underinsurance (UIM) the most important auto insurance in South Carolina. As described by other articles and videos on our site, UIM is coverage on your policy designed to protect you from an at-fault driver who does not have enough insurance to pay fully for your injuries.
UIM can offer a hidden benefit to provide immense relief to car accident victims in the right situation. This feature of UIM coverage is called “stacking.” Stacking allows a victim with UIM to get paid all the coverage on the car she rode in, then get paid from UIM on other cars in her household until all the coverage is paid or until she is fully compensated for her injuries.
If you're hurt badly enough to need UIM in a South Carolina car or motorcyle accident, you've got a lot to lose and you're facing an insurance company- or companies- determined to beat you out of a rightful settlement. Protect your rights. Get your questions answered in a free, no pressure strategy session with a Spartanburg, SC car and motorcycle accident attorney. Call toll free at 888-230-1841 or fill out a Get Help Now form.
A Simple Example of How Stacking Can Work
Say you and your husband have three cars. Each car’s insurance policy has $100,000 of UIM. If you are involved in a serious car accident while riding in one of those cars, you may have access to up to $300,000 in UIM (3 cars x $100,000 UIM each = $300,000).
That means a great deal more relief and a burden off your mind if you have extensive injuries after a traffic crash and the at-fault driver carries only the minimum $25,000 liability coverage.
Stacking is Hard. Get Help to Do It!
While UIM is an extremely important benefit to have, stacking it is not easy for two major reasons:
- Your eligibility for stacking is determined by very complex rules. Generally, to qualify for stacking, the accident must involve a vehicle covered by the UIM policy you want to stack and you must be the UIM policyholder, or married to the policyholder, or a relative residing with the policyholder. You also need multiple vehicles with UIM in your household. It doesn't matter what typre of vehicle you have, it just needs the coverage, which can be especially good news for motorcycle accident victims who need UIM- you're not limited to just motorcycle policies. The ability to stack and coverage amounts can vary based on many factors, including multiple policies in a household, different policy limits among vehicles, and whether a victim is considered a “relative” under South Carolina law.
- The shocking truth about UIM: When you make a UIM claim, your own insurance company fights against you. They can fight extremely hard, as shown by this actual case where the insurance company waged war against their own severely injured customer all the way to the South Carolina Supreme Court. When victims find this out, it usually adds an entirely new layer of bewilderment on top of the shock and debilitation of their serious injuries.
If you are a victim of a car accident serious enough to need UIM, you owe it to yourself and your family to have a meeting with an experienced South Carolina car crash lawyer who can make sure you maximize your access to all possible coverage to help you recover for your injuries. Taking on an insurance company without a professional jeopardizes your case.
If you have any questions about whether you can stack your insurance policy for a serious car wreck in Boiling Springs or anywhere in South Carolina, please call us at toll-free at 888.230.1841 for a free meeting. You can always start a live chat or email from right where you’re sitting. If you’re hurt too bad to come to us, we’ll come to you.
If you have any other questions about South Carolina car accidents, do check out our free report on South Carolina car crash cases.
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