Hit by an Uninsured Driver on Guam — What Happens Now

Insurance is mandatory for every registered vehicle on Guam. That doesn't mean every vehicle on the road has it, and it doesn't mean the driver in front of you is the registered owner.

If you've been hit and the other side has no coverage — or has coverage that won't stretch far enough — here's how it actually works.

First 48 hours

Get the police report. This matters far more here than in a straightforward two-insurer claim. If damage exceeds $100 or anyone was injured, contact the police; Guam gives you 24 hours to report. Without a report you are relying on your own account of events.

File with Revenue & Taxation within 10 working days of the police report being completed, if damage exceeds $250 or someone was injured.

Document harder than usual. Photos, video, the other vehicle's plate, the driver's name and license, any witness contact. In an uninsured claim, your documentation is the file.

Notify your own insurer immediately — even though the other driver was at fault. Your coverages are now the ones in play, and most policies have prompt-notice requirements.

Which of your coverages respond

Uninsured motorist (UM). On Guam this is commonly written to cover bodily injury to you, your family members, or occupants of your vehicle, where you'd be legally entitled to recover from an uninsured driver — and it typically extends to hit-and-run. Check your declarations page for whether you carry it and at what limits.

Collision. This is the one that repairs your vehicle. If the at-fault driver can't pay, your collision coverage is generally the practical route to getting the car fixed — subject to your deductible. If you dropped collision when your loan was paid off, this is the moment that decision shows up.

Typhoon, comprehensive, medical payments — not relevant here unless the facts include them.

When the other driver has insurance but not enough

Guam's mandatory minimums are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $20,000 per accident for property damage.

Twenty thousand dollars of property damage coverage does not go far against a late-model SUV, let alone two vehicles. If you're hit by a minimum-limits driver in a serious collision, the shortfall is real and it lands on you unless you carry coverage that fills it.

Worth asking your agent what underinsured motorist options exist on your policy.

Getting the car repaired while the claim sorts itself out

An uninsured claim takes longer than a normal one. Meanwhile you have a damaged vehicle sitting in salt air with exposed metal.

Two practical things:

Get a proper estimate early, even if you don't know yet who's paying. A documented, teardown-based estimate is the thing that supports every conversation that follows — with your insurer, with a lawyer, or in Small Claims.

Protect exposed metal. Bare steel in a collision zone on this island corrodes fast. If the vehicle is going to sit for weeks, that damage compounds.