Roughly one in five drivers on Texas roads has no insurance at all, and many of the ones who do carry the bare minimum ($30,000 per person), which barely covers an emergency room visit. So what happens when one of those drivers hits you? You're injured, medical bills are stacking up, you can't work, and the person who caused all of it has nothing, no insurance, no assets, no ability to pay for what they did.

This is where your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) becomes the most important piece of your auto insurance policy, and most people don't even know they have it.

UM coverage pays when you're hit by a driver with no insurance. UIM coverage kicks in when the at-fault driver's insurance isn't enough to cover your damages. This coverage comes from your own policy, and Texas law requires your insurer to offer it (Texas Insurance Code Section 1952.101). If you declined it, you signed a specific written rejection form. If you didn't sign that form, you may have coverage even if you don't realize it.

Here's the part that surprises people. When you file a UM/UIM claim, you're making a claim against your own insurance company, the company you've been paying premiums to, the company you trusted to be there when you needed them. And in my experience, they don't always treat you the way you'd expect. They still try to minimize, they still use adjusters and algorithms to push the number down, they still look for ways to reduce your recovery. That's why you need a lawyer who understands UM/UIM claims and treats them with the same seriousness as any other personal injury case.

We review every client's policy to identify the maximum coverage available, including whether stacking applies (which can multiply your coverage limits based on the number of vehicles on your policy). Sometimes people have significantly more protection than they realize. Finding that additional coverage can make a meaningful difference in the outcome.