If you’re hit by a stolen car in Colorado, the car owner’s insurance usually won’t cover the crash, and the thief rarely has money to pay. In most cases, your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is what pays for your injuries, if you have it. Damage to your car is usually paid by your collision coverage. This article is mainly for people hurt by someone driving a stolen car. If it was your car that was stolen, see the section for owners below.
It’s unfortunately not an unusual situation. Someone steals a car and, whether they are “joy-riding” and lose control, or are trying to avoid being caught by police, they crash the stolen car. Many times, they crash into another car, someone who had nothing to do with the theft and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Car Thief Rarely Pays
So who does pay when a thief crashes a stolen car, and someone is injured, or there is property damage as a result? The thief could be held responsible, but the thief is also not likely to have a lot of money sitting around that can be used to compensate the injured party.
Reviewing Your Own Insurance After the Crash
That leaves another option: the victim’s auto insurance. What Marlo notes will happen in cases where the stolen car crashes into your car is that your auto insurance will compensate you for your injuries, but only if you have what is called “underinsured motorist coverage.” This is insurance coverage that kicks in when the person who hits you either doesn’t have any insurance or doesn’t have enough insurance to cover your injuries. Damage to your car is usually paid by your collision coverage.
Unlike some other states, Colorado does not require you to carry uninsured motorist insurance. Insurers must offer it, but you can turn it down in writing under C.R.S. § 10-4-609. Because so many people drive without adequate amounts of insurance, or without any insurance at all even though it’s against the law, you really should include underinsured motorist coverage as a part of your auto insurance package. As Marlo notes, someone who steals a vehicle and is involved in a police chase is likely to be going “pretty fricking fast” (this is not a legal term of art), and if they’re going “pretty fricking fast,” they are likely to do a lot of damage if they crash into you.
As difficult as it might be to accept the fact that you have to insure yourself against some idiot who steals a car or refuses to insure their own car, you unfortunately need to have underinsured motorist insurance to protect you and your family against those idiots.
Learn more in Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Colorado and Hit by an Uninsured Driver in Colorado: Your Options.
If It Was Your Car That Was Stolen
As Marlo Greer makes clear in her video on this topic, if you are the owner of the stolen vehicle and that vehicle is involved in a crash, your insurance policy will not cover the damages or injuries caused by that crash. This doesn’t mean that you absolutely won’t be held responsible. There are some scenarios where, if your negligence led to your car being stolen, someone could try to come after you, but those situations are rare and are also difficult to prove.
Getting Help After a Crash With a Stolen Car
At Greer Law Group, our personal injury practice is focused on helping seriously or permanently injured clients get fair compensation for the injuries and damages they suffer because of the negligent or intentional acts of other people. If you have been hit by a stolen car and injured, or have suffered damages because someone stole a car and crashed it into yours, contact us for help. We can review the situation with you and let you know what your options are.
We can also help in cases where you are looking to your own underinsured motorist coverage for compensation. It is important to understand that no insurance company is going to make its best offer first. They hope you will take their first “lowball” offer with no negotiation, when in the vast majority of cases it is possible to get them to significantly increase what they are willing to pay. At Greer Law Group, we are constantly negotiating with insurance companies, and we know what it takes to convince them to do better when it comes to paying for your injuries and damages.
Call Greer Law Group today at 303-331-6460 or submit our contact form to schedule a free case evaluation. Tell us about your case, and let us explain how we can help.
