Your Trusted Chicago Uninsured Motorist Lawyer
You did the responsible thing and bought insurance, and then a driver with no coverage, or not nearly enough, hit you. Now your own insurer is not making it easy. Furqan Mohammed helps Chicago drivers get the uninsured and underinsured motorist benefits they already paid for.
Understanding Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims
When an at-fault driver has no insurance, too little insurance, or flees the scene, your own uninsured or underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage steps in. Illinois requires every auto policy to include uninsured motorist coverage (215 ILCS 5/143a), so you likely have this protection even if you did not know it. But these are claims against your own insurance company, and it does not always pay fairly.
When Uninsured Motorist Coverage Applies
Your UM/UIM coverage can protect you in several situations, including:
Uninsured drivers
Hit-and-run drivers
Underinsured drivers
Phantom vehicles
Denied or delayed claims
A Claim Against Your Own Insurer
A UM/UIM claim is different from a typical injury case: you are seeking payment from your own insurance company under coverage you already paid for. Even so, insurers often lowball or deny these claims, dispute fault, or delay. Because the claim is governed by your policy, strict deadlines and notice requirements apply, and many UM disputes are decided in arbitration rather than court.
Filing a not-at-fault UM claim should not raise your rates, and it is often the only way to be made whole after a crash with an uninsured driver. Illinois modified comparative negligence still applies to the underlying fault (735 ILCS 5/2-1116).
Types of Compensation
A UM/UIM claim can recover the same categories of damages as a claim against an at-fault driver, including:
Medical expenses
Covers emergency care, hospitalization, therapy, and future medical needs
Lost income
Reimburses wages lost due to injury and diminished earning capacity
Property damage
Repairs or replaces your vehicle and other damaged property
Pain and suffering
Accounts for physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of normal life
Loss of consortium
Compensation for harm to spousal relationships
How Furqan Mohammed Can Help
An uninsured motorist lawyer like Furqan Mohammed can take on your own insurer, including:
- Confirming and stacking every source of UM/UIM coverage available
- Meeting the policy’s notice and deadline requirements
- Proving fault and the full value of your injuries
- Representing you in negotiation or UM arbitration
Insurers do not always treat their own policyholders fairly. Furqan Mohammed handles the policy rules, deadlines, and arbitration so you get the benefits you paid for. The firm serves drivers across Chicago, with assistance available in Arabic and other languages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Almost certainly. Illinois requires every auto liability policy to include uninsured motorist coverage (215 ILCS 5/143a), so you likely have it even if you did not add it separately.
A hit-and-run is generally treated as an uninsured motorist claim, so your own UM coverage can pay for your injuries even though the driver is unknown.
Illinois law protects policyholders from surcharges for not-at-fault claims. Being hit by an uninsured driver is not your fault, so a proper UM claim should not raise your rates.
Your underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage can cover the gap between the at-fault driver's limits and the full value of your injuries.
Yes. UM/UIM claims are governed by your policy, which sets notice and time limits, and they often go to arbitration. It is important to act quickly and review your policy with a lawyer.
