You did everything right on the road, and someone else's carelessness still turned your life upside down. Now the driver who hit you has no insurance, or nowhere near enough to cover the harm they caused. The medical bills are arriving, the phone keeps ringing, and you are not sure where to turn.
If an uninsured or underinsured driver hurt you, the Hale County uninsured motorist accident lawyers at Cartee & Lloyd can help you pursue the full compensation you are owed. Since 1983, we have stood beside injured people across West Alabama, and we treat each client as if they were the only client we have. You focus on healing; we will take on the insurance company and fight for your recovery.
Call Cartee & Lloyd today at (659) 299-2525 for a free case evaluation.
When an uninsured driver upends your life, the firm you choose changes everything. Cartee & Lloyd has represented injured people in Hale County and across West Alabama since 1983, and our partners bring more than 77 years of combined courtroom experience to your case. Since 1992, we have helped over 11,000 Alabama clients and recovered millions of dollars for people hurt by negligent drivers.
What sets us apart is how we treat you. You get one-on-one representation and direct access to your legal team, not a case file passed around a crowded office. We prepare every claim as if it will go to trial, because insurance companies pay fair value only when they believe we are ready to fight.
After a crash with an at-fault driver who has no insurance, many people assume they have no way to recover. In Alabama, that assumption is often wrong. Your own policy may carry uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage, and that protection exists for this exact moment.
Under Alabama Code § 32-7-23, auto insurers must offer uninsured motorist coverage on every policy, though you can reject it in writing. If you never signed a written rejection, you likely have this coverage, even if you do not remember adding it.
| Coverage Type | Application |
| Uninsured motorist (UM) | Applies when the at-fault driver has no liability insurance or in hit-and-run crashes. |
| Underinsured motorist (UIM) | Applies when the at-fault driver has insurance, but their policy limits are too low to cover your total losses. |
Because Alabama only requires drivers to carry minimum liability limits of 25/50/25 ($25,000 per person for bodily injury, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage), it is very common for medical costs to exceed the at-fault driver's coverage. Your UIM benefits are designed to fill that gap.
Uninsured and underinsured driver claims take many forms. Our team handles a wide range of these cases for Hale County drivers, including the following:
An uninsured motorist claim works differently from a typical accident claim. Instead of filing against the other driver's insurer, you file against your own insurance company under coverage you already pay for. This is called a first-party claim.
Many people expect their own insurer to be on their side. In reality, the company still has a financial reason to pay as little as possible. Adjusters may question the severity of your injuries, dispute who was at fault, or argue that your treatment was unnecessary.
Our team levels the playing field. We investigate the crash, gather the police report, medical records, and witness statements, and build a claim the insurer cannot easily dismiss. We calculate the full value of your losses, including future medical care, and we handle every conversation with the adjuster so you do not have to.
When the insurance company refuses to offer a fair amount, we are prepared to take your uninsured motorist claim to court. That readiness often moves a stalled claim toward the settlement you deserve.
An uninsured motorist claim can recover the same types of damages as a claim against an at-fault driver. Your coverage exists to make you whole, not to leave you with a fraction of what you lost.
Economic damages cover your measurable financial losses, such as:
Non-economic damages cover the personal toll of a serious crash, such as:
The right amount depends on the severity of your injuries, your prognosis, and how the crash has changed your daily life. We document each of these losses in detail because a well-supported claim is far harder for an insurer to minimize.
Alabama follows one of the strictest fault rules in the country. Under the state's contributory negligence rule, an injured person who is found even 1% at fault for a crash can be barred from recovering anything. Only a few states still apply this standard, and Alabama is one of them.
This rule applies even when you file a claim against your own insurer. To reduce or deny your uninsured motorist claim, an adjuster may try to pin part of the blame on you. A single sentence taken out of context, or an early recorded statement, can put your entire claim at risk.
We take that threat seriously from day one. Our team works to clearly establish the other driver's fault, counter attempts to shift blame, and protect the documented record in your case. Careful handling of the fault question is often the difference between a paid claim and a denied one.
Time is not on your side after an uninsured motorist crash. In Alabama, the statute of limitations generally gives you 2 years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. That deadline comes from Ala. Code § 6-2-38, and missing it can cost you your right to recover.
Your insurance policy may set even shorter deadlines. Many policies require prompt notice of an uninsured motorist claim, sometimes within days of the crash. Waiting can also cost you evidence, as skid marks fade, vehicles get repaired, and witnesses become harder to find.
The sooner we start, the more we can do to protect your claim. Contact our team early so we can preserve evidence and meet all deadlines applicable to your case.
Yes. In Alabama, uninsured motorist coverage generally treats a hit-and-run driver as uninsured, so you may still file a claim even if the driver flees and is never found. Reporting the crash to police quickly helps protect this option.
That is what underinsured motorist coverage is for. When the at-fault driver's limits do not cover your full losses, your own underinsured motorist coverage can help pay the difference. We often pursue both the at-fault driver and your underinsured motorist coverage together.
Often, yes. Alabama law allows limited stacking, which lets you combine your primary coverage with additional coverage for other vehicles on your policy, up to two additional coverages. Stacking can meaningfully raise the total money available for your injuries.
You are not filing against yourself as people fear; you are using coverage you already paid for, exactly as intended. Alabama law and your own policy generally protect your right to file an uninsured motorist claim and collect the benefits you are owed. An adjuster's resistance does not remove that right.
Nothing upfront. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means no fee unless we recover for you. Your first step is a free case evaluation, where we review your crash, your coverage, and your options at no cost.
You do not have to face the insurance company alone. If an uninsured or underinsured driver hurt you or someone you love in Hale County, the team at Cartee & Lloyd is ready to help you fight for full and fair compensation. Attorneys Michael Cartee and John Lloyd have spent decades standing up for injured people across West Alabama, and they bring the same drive to every uninsured-motorist claim.
Your recovery is our priority, and it starts with a conversation. Call our Hale County uninsured motorist accident lawyers at Cartee & Lloyd today at (659) 299-2525 for a free case evaluation. There is no fee unless we recover for you.
We listen to your story and understand your struggles. We handle the insurance companies and hire the experts and do the things necessary to win your case while you focus on going to the doctor and recovering from your injuries.
Through over 77 years of combined litigation experience, we have learned that the best way to make an insurance company pay you fairly for your damages is to be well prepared, fully investigate every detail, hire experts and prepare your case for trial even if most cases will settle without trial.
We know the law and have decades of experience in the courtroom and dealing with insurance companies. We use all of our resources to hire the experts necessary for trial, fully investigate, and pay for your medical records and litigation expenses so that you do not have to come out of pocket yourself while you are struggling to recover. We fight the big insurance companies for you and only get paid for our time and expenses if we recover for you.
Don’t fall for lawyer ads telling you Ai will tell you the value of your car wreck case or believe flashing dollars on a lawyer tv commercial. The real value of your case is what a judge or jury decides is the value of your case after hearing all of the law and evidence. An experienced personal injury lawyer will know the issues that affect the value of your case. We have over 77 years of combined litigation experience and we stand ready to take your case to trial if an insurance company refuses to fairly compensate you for your injuries and damages.
Your success matters to us. Since 1992, we have helped over 11,000 clients in Alabama and recovered millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients. We measure our success by helping you receive the justice and fairness that you deserve.
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