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How can I protect myself against uninsured drivers?

Posted at 9:04 PM, Oct 11, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-14 17:19:11-04

Every day Anne Lackey sees the scene play out in her head.

"Neighbors got a ladder, one person stuck his arm in and kept asking are you OK, you OK."

A May 11 crash left her car rolling over.

"All of a sudden the car was tumbling and I saw it in the windshield first, it was like a washing machine, and then it stopped," Lackey said. 

According to the crash report, the vehicle that hit her near 36th Street and Pinewood was stolen. At least one juvenile ran from the scene after the crash, leaving Lackey injured and with a totaled car.

So she sought legal advice from attorney Gary Lesser, with Lesser, Lesser, Landy And Smith.

"And that ends up meaning Anne can't sue, she can't sue the people who stole the car, because they don't have insurance or assets," said Lesser.

Lackey's crash is a wake-up call about uninsured drivers in Florida, one of the top states in the country when it comes to the number of uninsured drivers.

Robert Norberg with Arden Insurance says in South Florida, one in four drivers have no insurance or low insurance coverage.

"Everybody needs to be out there protecting themselves out on the road."

He says drivers should ask about uninsured drivers coverage.

"A trip to the hospital can be thousands and thousands of dollars so if you don't have that uninsured motorists protection, which cover you and your passengers, you could be stuck like in an accident like this," said Norberg.

For more information on uninsured drivers coverage, contact your insurance agent.