Elizabeth Chang, an associate professor at Mizzou, was injured by a hit-and-run driver near the 100 block of South Garth Avenue on Monday. An 86 year old woman hit Chang while she was putting her children into the car. The woman fled the scene but later turned herself into the Columbia Police Department. Chang was transported to University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, a fractured pelvis and six broken ribs. Thankfully, none of her children were injured.
Hopefully Marian Ohman had car insurance and enough coverage to pay for Elizabeth Chang's medical bills. If not, Chang will need to make a claim against her own insurance company for either uninsured motorist coverage or underinsured motorist coverage.
If Ohman was not able to be found or did not turn herself in to the police, Chang would have made a claim against her own insurance company for her uninsured motorist coverage. All policies in Missouri carry a minimum of $25,000 in uninsured motorist coverage. In some cases that is not enough coverage.
If Ohman is underinsured or only has the state minimum coverage of $25,000, then Chang can make a claim against her own insurance company for underinsured motorist coverage. That is, if she carries that on her policy. Underinsured Motorist Coverage is optional but necessary in my opinion.
The Sumner Law Group is your Columbia Personal Injury Law Firm with experienced personal injury attorneys to handle your case. Contact The Sumner Law Group for a free consultation regarding your personal injury case if you have been injured by the negligence of someone else.