The other driver apologised, exchanged numbers, and drove off. Two days later the number does not work and the policy they named was cancelled in March. That is the moment most people assume their claim is over.
It is not. In Arizona the claim simply moves. It stops being a claim against them and becomes a claim under your own uninsured motorist coverage.
What UM and UIM actually cover
Uninsured motorist coverage applies when the at-fault driver has no liability insurance at all, and it also applies in most hit-and-run situations where the driver is never identified. Underinsured motorist coverage applies when they had insurance but not enough to cover your losses.
Arizona requires insurers to offer both under A.R.S. § 20-259.01. You can decline them, but the declination has to be in writing. It is worth pulling out your declarations page, because a surprising number of people carry coverage they have forgotten about.
Stacking, and why it is worth checking
If you have multiple vehicles on one policy, each with UM coverage, those limits may stack. Three vehicles carrying $50,000 each can produce $150,000 of available coverage rather than $50,000.
Coverage across separate household policies can also come into play depending on the language. This is not something an insurer volunteers, and it is one of the most common reasons a claim ends up being worth substantially more than the first assessment suggested.
The part people find uncomfortable
A UM claim is a claim against your own insurance company. The same company you have paid for years is now the party evaluating what your injury is worth.
They are contractually obliged to handle it in good faith, and most do. But the relationship is no longer the one you thought you had, and treating a UM adjuster as though they are on your side is how people accept less than their policy provides.
Hit and run: report it immediately
If the driver leaves, call the police from the scene. UM coverage in hit-and-run cases generally depends on prompt reporting, and a report filed days later invites an argument about whether the phantom vehicle existed.
Look for cameras. Petrol stations, doorbell cameras and business frontages capture more than people expect, and that footage disappears quickly.
Deadlines
The two-year deadline under A.R.S. § 12-542 governs the injury claim. Your policy may impose its own shorter notice requirements for UM claims, so the policy language matters as much as the statute.
How a UM claim gets evaluated
Largely the same way a liability claim does. Your insurer looks at the medical records, the treatment timeline, the property damage, and whether the injuries fit the mechanism of the crash. Then it applies its own internal valuation.
The difference is that there is no third party to argue with. In a normal claim, two insurers push against each other and that friction produces movement. In a UM claim, your insurer is on both sides of the table, which is exactly why the numbers tend to start lower.
What to do this week
Get your declarations page and read the UM and UIM lines. Report the crash to your own insurer even if you believe the other driver was at fault. Keep treating. And before you accept an evaluation from your own carrier, have someone check whether stacking applies, because that single question changes the ceiling on the claim.
If you were hurt in Arizona, talk to us before you talk to the insurance adjuster. The case review is free and there is no obligation. Call (480) 937-2116
