Fatal I-5 Crash a Reminder of the Importance of UIM Insurance
Posted by
Chelsea GilbertOctober 12, 2007 8:00 AMIn the early hours of the morning on September 9th a drunk driver headed the wrong way on I-5 caused a collision that resulted in the death of one young woman.
According to police, Cerrissa R. Christensen, 27, had a history of drunk driving and DUI arrests. Christensen was being pursued by police when she crashed into a northbound 1988 Chevrolet pickup. A passenger in the pickup, 18-year-old Bawny B. McQuistin of Tacoma, died at the scene. The driver of the pickup, 19-year-old Eric Hillstrom of Tacoma, was injured transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Accidents such as these are a poignant remainder of the importance of Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UIM). UIM coverage will provide a source of recovery you if you are in an accident with an at-fault driver that does not carry a sufficient amount of liability coverage to pay for your injuries and damages. This happens more often than you might think. With the soaring costs of medical treatment, the cost of medical treatment and other damages (such as lost earnings, pain and suffering, etc.) will frequently exceed the minimum coverage that state law requires.
State law in Washington does not require drivers to purchase UIM coverage but it should. We strongly advise that you purchase as much UIM coverage as you can afford.
For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.