How to Be Compensated if You Are Injured by an Uninsured Driver

Updated on May 3, 2022

If you’ve ever been in an automobile accident of any kind, you’re probably aware that the insurance settlement process has many steps. This can be confusing and time consuming, and definitely not the type of environment that promotes any healing of injuries you may have sustained in the accident.

If you’ve been injured in an accident with an uninsured driver, you may feel especially hopeless and lost. After all, how will you be compensated for your losses if you are injured by an uninsured driver?

While Illinois’ mandatory insurance law requires all drivers to carry liability insurance in the minimal amounts of  $25,000 for the injury or death of one person in an accident, $50,000 for the injury or death of more than one person in an accident, and $20,000 – damage to property of another person, there are a few individuals who attempt to skirt the expenses of automobile expenses by breaking this law.

Unfortunately, you cannot file an injury claim against an uninsured driver in Chicago.  Furthermore, if you try to sue them personally, there’s the chance that the driver doesn’t have the money to pay the settlement. The best option is to use the “uninsured driver” coverage offered by your auto insurance company, provided you purchased this type of coverage.

Note that you will be subject to the limits of the uninsured driver coverage purchased, which may or may not cover all of your medical expenses, including time off to recuperate. With growing medical costs, $25,000 may just be a small drop in the bucket of your overall personal expenses related to your car accident.

You may decide that additional action is required to receive the payment for damages necessary. One option is to pursue car accident arbitration. This process is specifically designed by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) to allow injured drivers to apply for and potentially recover damages from an uninsured driver.  

The process requires you to submit specific paperwork. In order to ensure this process goes smoothly and is processed as quickly as possible, you may wish to involve the help of a legal arbitration specialist to walk you through each step of your car accident arbitration.

Arbitration generally requires about two weeks for the paperwork to be processed, followed by three weeks of selecting an arbitrator. Next comes the hearing itself, in which all evidence is presented and evaluated. All told, the process of arbitration can take up to three months.

While an arbitration is not a guarantee of compensation for those injured by an uninsured driver, the process generally has lower fees and has a faster time frame for judgment than a lawsuit.  

Engaging the assistance of a Chicago car accident lawyer can help you be sure that you’re prepared for and aware of every step in the process. While being injured by an uninsured driver can be an extremely frustrating situation, there are steps you can take to be compensated.  

The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.