Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists Lawyer in El Segundo, CA

Helping accident victims obtain compensation for their injuries

California follows a fault-based system for automobile accident liability. This means the driver who causes an accident is financially responsible for the bodily injury and property damage that result. Though all drivers are required to have liability insurance coverage, some accidents cause harm that exceeds the at-fault driver’s insurance limits. What’s more, some drivers fail to carry insurance at all and others might flee the accident scene. Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage addresses these contingencies. If you have such insurance as part of your auto policy, you may look to it as a source of compensation. You can count on the Law Offices of Sanford Jossen in El Segundo to help you collect the UM and UIM benefits you deserve.

What are uninsured and underinsured motorists?

Uninsured motorists are drivers who have no auto insurance or who can’t be identified, such as in a hit-and-run accident. Underinsured motorists have insurance that is too low to cover your full damages, often because they carry only minimum liability coverage. In California as of 2025, these minimum coverages are $30,000 for each person injured or killed and $60,000 for all persons killed or injured in a single accident. Many accidents cause much greater harm than that.

Why coverage matters

Purchasing UM/UIM insurance coverage can be an important protection against financial losses for you and your family. An accident can cause you to incur medical bills, lost wages and other expenses that exceed the at-fault driver’s policy limits and/or the assets from which you might be able to obtain reimbursement. Though UM/UIM coverage is not mandatory for drivers in California, insurance companies must offer it as part of every auto policy. Unless you formally decline it in writing, it is included in your policy, typically with the same limits as your liability coverage.

How UM/UIM claims work in California

UM and UIM claims are decided by arbitration, rather than in in court. To file a claim for UM benefits after a hit-and-run, you should first report the accident to the police within 24 hours and file a notice with your UM insurer within 30 days of your accident, stating under oath why you have a cause of action and why you can’t identify the driver. You must request arbitration of a UM claim within two years after the accident. For a UIM claim, you must request arbitration within a reasonable time after you exhaust the tortfeasor’s insurance limits. 

How an attorney can help

UM and UIM insurers often make the claims process unnecessarily difficult for claimants, including such common tactics as:

• Refusing to agree to a settlement
• Delaying payment
• Undervaluing claims
• Disputing liability
• Interpreting the policy in a manner less favorable to you

For instance, your insurer might deny your claim based on a policy exclusion of questionable application to you or it might argue that you are partly at fault for the accident, reducing the amount it owes you under California’s comparative negligence rule. As your personal injury attorneys, we will gather police reports, witness statements, medical records and other evidence to prove your claim. Whenever you encounter unfair resistance, we have the knowledge and experience to dispute the factual and evidentiary interpretations on which your insurance company relies.

Contact a dedicated Los Angeles County uninsured and underinsured motorist law firm

The Law Offices of Sanford Jossen in El Segundo helps California accident victims collect UM/UIM insurance benefits. We accept cases on a contingency fee basis, so you only pay legal fees if you receive compensation. To schedule a free consultation, call 888-671-3718 or contact us online.