Connecticut law requires insurance companies to
protect their customers when they are injured by drivers
who have no insurance.
This coverage is generally provided under the
policy’s Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist
(called "UM" for short) provisions.
To see how UM works, please see our What If ... section
about Uninsured
Motorists.
Thanks to the Connecticut Supreme Court, the UM
part of your automobile insurance policy also protects you
if you an unknown driver makes a sudden, unexpected move
and causes you to swerve and crash.
On May 6, 1989, while driving on I-95 in Guilford,
William Streitweiser was cut off by a driver, lost control
of his 1979 Cadillac, struck a lightpole and was injured. Mr. Streitweiser’s attorney took his car accident case to
the Connecticut Supreme Court. The justices ruled
that UM insurance covered these kinds of swerve-and-run
accidents. Streitweiser
v. Middlesex Mutual Assurance Co., 219 Conn. 371, 593
A.2d 498 (1991).
Your explanation of what happened — by itself — can be enough for you to get compensated for a swerve-and-run
accident.
When Dean Raffile woke up in the hospital with a
fractured neck, he had no memory of how his auto accident
happened. Three
weeks after an operation, he suddenly remembered a yellow
Pontiac or Chevrolet station wagon had come out of a dirt
driveway at a curve and caused him to swerve into a
telephone pole.
The insurance company argued that Dean’s word
should not be enough to support a swerve-and-run accident
case. The
Connecticut Supreme Court disagreed. The court ruled
that if a jury believes the victim of a swerve-and-run
accident, then the insurance company has to pay the claim. Keystone Ins.
Co. v. Raffile, 225 Conn. 223, 622 A.2d 564 (1993).
At Serrano & Serrano, we know the law and are
familiar with the cases that can help our clients be
compensated for their injuries when they are hurt in a motor vehicle
accident.
And if the insurance company will not settle for a
reasonable amount, we have the skill and experience to
forcefully and effectively present our clients' cases to a
jury.
When You
Need a Car Accident Lawyer,
Rely on
Us for Skill, Determination and Experience.
