The unexpected happened when Larry was driving down the road. He observed a box sitting in the road directly ahead of him. He immediately swerved to avoid it, but injured himself doing so.

Larry realized that the only way this could happen was if the box fell off another vehicle. In such a case, that vehicle was responsible for the accident.

Although Larry did not know who was responsible for the box, he was confident that it must have been a motorist so he filed an uninsured motorists claim with his carrier, Allstate.

Allstate denied the claim but Larry pursued the case.

Click here to see what the courts decided.

Uninsured motorists coverage does not require identifying the motorist who caused the injury. There is no requirement that the motorist must strike the injured party. The only requirement is that a vehicle or a trailer be responsible.

Uninsured motorists coverage does not even require that your client be in a vehicle when the injury occurs. There is coverage if an uninsured vehicle strikes your client while he or she is walking, biking or skateboarding.

Click here to review the PF&M analysis of Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists Coverage.

Uninsured and underinsured motorists coverage is not simply an automobile coverage. Many umbrella carriers include coverage for uninsured and underinsured motorists. These limits could be a significant benefit if your client (or a member of his family) is injured.

Click here for a Rough Notes article about the real protection that personal umbrellas provide.

Have your clients’ situations changed since you first met them? If they have more assets or their incomes have increased, their policy limits should also increase. If they have married, gotten involved in community organizations, become parents, adopted a dog, or started a business, their exposure to liability losses and lawsuits has increased.

Now may be the perfect time to congratulate them on their many life changes and also help them update their insurance coverages to match their circumstances.

Click here for wording you can include in an email or a letter to encourage improving their portfolio of insurance coverages.