The crash wasn’t your fault. You did everything right — and then you found out the driver who hit you has no insurance at all. Suddenly the question isn’t just “how hurt am I?” It’s “who on earth is going to pay for my recovery?”
Take a breath. Being hit by an uninsured driver in Colorado is frustrating, but it almost never means you’re stuck paying for everything yourself. There are usually several layers of coverage between you and that worst case — you just have to know they exist.
Uninsured Drivers Are More Common Than You’d Think
Despite Colorado’s insurance requirements, a meaningful share of drivers on Denver-area roads carry no coverage — and plenty more carry only the state minimum, which serious injuries can exhaust quickly. That’s why the coverages below matter so much. If you’re reviewing your own policy after reading this, consider it time well spent.
Layer 1: Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) Coverage
Colorado insurers are required to offer uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage with every auto policy — you have it unless you rejected it in writing. UM/UIM essentially steps into the shoes of the missing insurance: it covers your injury-related losses the way the at-fault driver’s liability policy should have.
Two things people are often relieved to learn:
- Using your UM coverage is not “suing yourself.” It’s a benefit you’ve been paying for, designed for exactly this situation.
- A UM claim generally can’t be used to raise your rates the way an at-fault claim can — you didn’t cause the crash.
Layer 2: MedPay — The Coverage That Pays First and Asks Questions Later
Medical payments coverage (MedPay) is the unsung hero of Colorado auto insurance. Insurers must offer it (commonly in amounts starting around $5,000), it applies regardless of who was at fault, and it can start paying for evaluation and treatment right away — no waiting for a liability fight to resolve.
MedPay is also one of the most underused benefits we see. Many patients don’t know they have it, and money that could have funded their recovery goes unclaimed. We wrote a full explainer on what MedPay is and whether it covers chiropractic care — short answer: it typically does.
Layer 3: Health Insurance and Other Backstops
If UM/UIM and MedPay don’t apply or run out, your health insurance remains a backstop for medically necessary care. And in some situations — a hit-and-run, a crash involving someone else’s vehicle — additional policies can come into play. Sorting out which policy pays in what order is exactly the kind of thing a personal injury attorney can untangle, and it’s why we coordinate closely with attorneys across the Denver metro. (As always: we’re a chiropractic clinic, not a law firm — treat this as education, not legal advice.)
The Mistake That Costs More Than the Uninsured Driver Did
Here’s the pattern we most want to break: someone gets hit by an uninsured driver, assumes there’s no money for treatment, and simply… doesn’t get treated. Weeks pass. The neck stiffness becomes daily headaches. The back pain settles in. By the time they learn about UM and MedPay, they’re facing two problems — an injury that’s now harder to treat, and a gap in care that makes their claim look weaker than their injury actually is.
Soft-tissue injuries — the strained muscles, sprained ligaments, and irritated fascia that make up most crash injuries — respond best to early treatment. Delay is the enemy of both your spine and your settlement. If your insurer later pushes back on care, know your options: here’s what to do when an insurance company says you don’t need more treatment.
What Treatment Looks Like at Lakeside Spine & Injury Center
At our Wheat Ridge clinic, Dr. Andrew Allen, DC starts every crash case with a comprehensive evaluation — because you can’t treat what you haven’t found. From there, our car accident injury care combines chiropractic adjustments with focused soft-tissue therapy, and every visit is documented with the med-legal detail an uninsured-motorist claim demands.
- We verify your coverage picture. Many patients discover MedPay or UM benefits they didn’t know they had.
- We document everything. Objective findings, functional limitations, and progress over time — the record that supports a UM claim.
- We work alongside your attorney if you have one, and can point you toward reputable local options if you need one.
One Caution: Red Flags Still Come First
Coverage questions matter, but they come second to your safety. Severe or worsening headache, numbness or weakness in a limb, dizziness, confusion, or loss of bladder or bowel control after a crash are red-flag symptoms — seek immediate medical evaluation before worrying about any claim.
Don’t Let Their Missing Insurance Decide Your Recovery
The driver who hit you was uninsured. Your recovery doesn’t have to be. If you’ve been hurt in a crash in Wheat Ridge, Arvada, or anywhere in the Denver area, call Lakeside Spine & Injury Center at (303) 351-0744 or book a free 30-minute evaluation — we’ll assess your injuries and help you understand how your care can be covered.
