Someone who is willing to drive on the streets of the Tampa area while they are intoxicated is probably willing to be irresponsible in other areas of their life as well. This is why many a drunk driving accident in Florida presents a special problem for victims, as the negligent driver may have not purchased liability insurance even though Florida law requires them to do so.
In other cases, they may not have purchased nearly enough insurance to compensate victims for the serious accident that will inevitably happen at some point if they choose to drive drunk. Moreover, these drivers in many cases do not have any means to pay compensation to their victims out of their own pockets.
Fortunately, assuming it was purchased, a Florida resident can rely on uninsured motorists coverage to pay for their damages. This type of coverage is from the injured victim’s own insurance company, and so the victim goes to his or her company for compensation.
Basically, uninsured motorists coverage will pay compensation to a victim if he or she gets hurt by a negligent driver who had no insurance and otherwise cannot pay due to lack of resources. This coverage also can make up some of the difference should a drunk driver have some insurance, just not enough to cover all of the medical bills, lost wages and other damages.
As with other types of car accident cases, though, one has to file a claim and, if the insurance company disputes any part of the claim, file suit to recover the damages. This is often best done with the help of experienced personal injury attorneys who serve the Tampa area.