What Are Your Options if Hit by an Uninsured Driver in Palmdale?

If an uninsured driver injured you in Palmdale, applicable uninsured motorist coverage may offer a claim through your own insurer. Underinsured coverage may matter when another driver has insufficient liability coverage. Neither guarantees full payment of every loss, and statutory and policy conditions must be checked.

By California Personal Injury Attorneys. Call (800) 800-8910 to discuss the next steps.

State Route 14, State Route 138, Palmdale Boulevard, Sierra Highway and Rancho Vista Boulevard help locate a Palmdale collision. These roads do not prove that uninsured driving is more prevalent or establish coverage.

Confirm the insurance facts

Preserve the driver’s identity, insurance documents and written coverage responses. A statement that there is no coverage is a starting point, not a completed investigation. Distinguish absent coverage from a disagreement about fault or the amount available.

Find declarations, policy and endorsements

Request your documents and any written coverage waiver or reduction. Insurance Code §11580.2 governs UM/UIM coverage and contains conditions affecting eligibility and procedures. Do not assume coverage was bought, waived or set at any amount without examining the papers.

Ask your insurer to identify the applicable coverage and explain its position in writing. Confirm whose injuries may qualify and which provisions it relies upon. Being the policyholder does not itself prove another driver caused the crash or establish your losses.

Keep bodily injury and vehicle damage separate

UM bodily injury is not automatically payment for repairs, a rental car or a deductible. Ask separately about collision and any uninsured-motorist property-damage provisions. Preserve repair estimates separately from treatment records so one benefit is not confused with another.

Support the claim through your own insurer

Keep safe scene photographs, witness contacts, report information and original footage. Write your recollection while distinguishing firsthand observation from what someone said. Retain clinical records, bills, receipts and wage documentation, and accurately disclose prior medical history.

Save insurer requests and responses. Ask for clarification when a request is unclear. An organized record distinguishes unresolved coverage, disputed fault and medical evidence. Your insurer may dispute these matters; do not assume a policyholder claim requires no documentation.

Coordinate any liability settlement with UIM

Do not sign a release of the other driver and assume UIM can be addressed later. Review Insurance Code §11580.2, policy provisions and the proposed release together. Underinsured claims have requirements involving liability coverage and exhaustion. Limits, offsets and procedures are not a promise to pay the entire difference.

Adding liability and UIM limits does not establish a guaranteed recovery. Preserve offers and obtain advice before a release affects remaining rights. If adverse coverage is disputed, ask about other potentially responsible parties and collectibility without assuming they have additional insurance.

Check UM/UIM procedures as well as lawsuit timing

Notify the insurer promptly and keep written submission confirmations. A telephone report does not necessarily complete every required step. UM/UIM procedures under statute and policy are not replaced by the ordinary injury lawsuit period. Arbitration, coverage disputes and hit-and-run requirements need individual review; do not assume every dispute goes to a local jury trial.

If the driver left the scene

Report promptly, preserve identification and witness evidence and do not pursue the driver. Hit-and-run coverage has particular statutory and policy conditions. Unknown identity alone does not establish every requirement. Obtain review rather than assume the routine process applies unchanged.

Practical record checklist

Protect legal timing

Injury lawsuits generally must be filed within two years under Code of Civil Procedure §335.1. Claims against California public entities generally require presenting a government claim within six months under Government Code §911.2. Presentation is not filing a lawsuit. Exceptions and additional deadlines may apply; insurance negotiations do not ordinarily protect the legal calendar.

Official sources

Insurance Code §11580.2; Code of Civil Procedure §335.1; Government Code §911.2

Attorney advertising. General information, not legal advice. Reading this article or contacting the firm does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship. Outcomes depend on the facts and law.

Updated October 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does an uninsured driver mean no claim? A: Not necessarily. Review own coverage and claims against responsible parties; payment still depends on evidence and collectibility.

Q: Where do I find UM coverage? A: Obtain declarations, policy, endorsements and any written waiver or reduction.

Q: Is UIM the same as UM? A: No. UIM concerns insured drivers with insufficient coverage under statutory and policy requirements.

Q: Does UM bodily injury repair my car? A: Not automatically. Review vehicle-damage coverage separately.

Q: Do I still need to prove fault? A: Yes. Preserve evidence supporting responsibility and injury losses.

Q: Can I accept the other insurer’s payment first? A: Review proposed releases and UIM conditions together before settling.

Q: What if the driver fled? A: Report promptly and preserve identifying evidence; eligibility requires checking specific conditions.

Q: Which injury deadlines should I check? A: Injury lawsuits generally must be filed within two years under Code of Civil Procedure §335.1. Claims against California public entities generally require presenting a government claim within six months under Government Code §911.2. Presentation is not filing a lawsuit. Exceptions and additional deadlines may apply; insurance negotiations do not ordinarily protect the legal calendar.