Group of junior high cheerleaders injured by hit and run motorist

Last week outside of Pittsburgh, a group of 4 junior high cheerleaders were walking from the library to a game when they were struck by a car while crossing the crosswalk.  The driver did not stop in this hit and run accident.

We have covered several times that the law is that hit and run accidents are uninsured motorist claims in Illinois.  We have also covered the fact that you can still make an uninsured motorist claim on your own insurance policy even if you are injured as a pedestrian in a hit and run accident.

This accident underlines the importance of maintaining uninsured motorist coverage on your car insurance policy as a means of protecting your family.  There were four girls all injured in the same accident.  If the family of one of the girls did carried liability insurance only on her vehicle, then she would not be able to get any compensation for her injuries. 

Similarly, if the amount of coverage was inadequate, you can end up with the skewed result that a girl who was less seriously injured than one of the other girls ended up getting a higher settlement for her injuries than a girl whose family carried uninsured motorist coverage, but at low limits.

The bottom line is this:  uninsured motorist coverage protects your own family. With ever increasing numbers of drivers on the road going without adequate insurance coverage when they buy any at all, this is an ever more important coverage for you to have.