Accident Terms and Definitions

Salvage
Property taken over by an insurer to reduce its loss.

Underinsured Motorist Coverage
Pays for bodily injury or wrongful death caused by an underinsured motor vehicle (that is, a vehicle which is insured, but at an amount that is less than your uninsured motorist bodily injury (UMBI) limits).

Witness
Person who testifies under oath before a court, regarding what he/she has seen, heard or otherwise observed.

Accident
A collision involving an automobile and anything that causes damage to the automobile, including other automobiles, telephone poles, buildings, and trees.

Claim
Notice to an insurer of a loss that under the terms and conditions of a policy may be covered.

Scrapped
Vehicles that have been dismantled and/or crushed and should not return to the road.

Liability Insurance
Coverage for a policyholder's legal liability resulting from injuries to other persons or damage to their property.

Commissioner of Insurance
The title of the head of most state insurance departments. In some states, the Director or Superintendent of Insurance is used instead.

Hearsay
Evidence based on what the witness has heard someone else say, rather than what the witness has personally experienced or observed.

Hit and Run
An accident caused by someone who does not stop to assist or provide the required and necessary information.