Uninsured Motorist Protection

by Michael
(Aiken, SC)

I live in South Carolina and have a South Carolina auto insurance policy with Liberty Mutual. My vehicle was involved in a "hit & run" accident while it was parked in a parking lot.

I have a $1000.00 deductible on collision normally. I also have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, but no deductible is stated in the policy. How much is my deductible in this circumstance?


Answer:



Hello Michael,

There is no law that establishes a “deductible.” Deductibles are controlled by the contract between the parties (the policy).

Your insurance policy should list your deductible right on the Declarations page. If it does not, the deductible can be “hidden” or build in within the uninsured motorist portion of the policy.

If the insurance carrier does not have any listed, then you must make sure you do have the coverage (not an agent’s mistake), which only the declarations page can show you (the deductible show be listed by the coverage).

Read more about Declarations Page here.

Do read the section on point. The uninsured property damage usually increases the deductible to a higher amount if the car accident is a hit and run and the person that caused the accident cannot be indentified.

I hope this helps,

Good Luck
Héctor.