Kentucky law requires drivers to carry a minimum of $25,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per person and $50,000 per accident. Those amounts sound meaningful until you consider the actual cost of a serious car accident. Emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy, lost wages, and long-term treatment can easily exceed those limits, sometimes by a wide margin.
When the driver who caused your accident carries only minimum coverage, the question of how to cover the remaining gap becomes the central issue in the claim.
Kentucky requires insurers to offer uninsured motorist coverage under KRS § 304.20-020, and underinsured motorist coverage is available under KRS § 304.39-320. These coverages exist on your own auto policy and can provide compensation when the at-fault driver cannot.
Uninsured motorist coverage applies when the other driver has no insurance at all. Underinsured motorist coverage applies when the other driver has insurance but their policy limits are not enough to cover your damages. In either situation, the claim goes through your own insurer rather than the at-fault driver’s. These coverages are not automatic upgrades — policy limits for UM and UIM vary depending on what was selected at the time the policy was purchased. In claims involving a Pikeville car accident lawyer, reviewing all available policy coverage is among the first steps in evaluating what compensation may be available.
The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt evaluates every available source of compensation in cases where the at-fault driver’s insurance falls short. Depending on the facts, that may include:
Not every case involves these additional avenues, but overlooking them without investigation can leave significant compensation on the table.
Even when the at-fault driver has minimal coverage, how you handle the aftermath of the accident matters. Seek medical care immediately, report the accident to your own insurer, and avoid giving recorded statements before speaking with an attorney. Anything said to an adjuster, whether yours or the other driver’s, can affect what you ultimately recover.
Documentation matters too. Photographs of the scene and vehicles, medical records, and a consistent treatment history all support the value of your claim regardless of which coverage source ends up paying it.
Minimum-coverage situations are challenging, but they are not dead ends. Reaching out to a Pikeville car accident lawyer early is the most effective way to understand what your claim is worth, identify every available source of recovery, and pursue the compensation you are owed. Our team is ready to evaluate your situation and help you move forward.
