UM/UIM After a Crash: How It Stacks With Oregon PIP

By Dr. Mike Kam, DC. Medically reviewed by Dr. Mike Kam, DC — July 29, 2026.

Short answer: Oregon PIP pays first. It doesn’t matter who caused the crash. UM/UIM only shows up if the other driver had too little insurance, or none at all. And UM/UIM does more than pay medical bills. It covers everything you’re owed because of the crash — medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering. Most patients never think about how these two coverages work together.

We cover the PIP basics in our complete guide to Oregon PIP coverage — the $15,000 minimum, the 2-year window. This post is about what comes after that. How UM/UIM works, and how it fits with the PIP you’ve already gotten.

PIP vs. UM/UIM: The Two Coverages at a Glance

Coverage	Pays for	When it applies	Key rule
Oregon PIP	Medical bills, some lost wages	First, no matter who caused the crash	Required on every policy. $15,000 minimum. Covers bills for 2 years after the crash.
UM/UIM (your own policy)	Everything you’re owed because of the crash, medical bills included	Only when the at-fault driver has no insurance, or not enough	Required on every Oregon policy, unless you signed away part of it in writing

One note on that table: PIP almost always pays first. There are a few unusual exceptions — like being hurt in a car that isn’t on your own policy — but for most people in most crashes, that’s how it works.

What Happens When the At-Fault Driver Doesn’t Have Enough Insurance?

This is where a lot of our patients get an unpleasant surprise. Oregon requires drivers to carry insurance. But the minimum is low: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash. A lot of drivers don’t even carry that much. Nationally, about one in three drivers is uninsured or underinsured.

When that happens, two types of coverages on your own policy step in (If the other driver does carry enough coverage, that’s a different situation. See our breakdown of PIP vs. BIL coverage.).

What Is Uninsured Motorist (UM) Coverage?

UM coverage pays you when the at-fault driver has no insurance at all. In Oregon, that also covers hit-and-run drivers, “phantom” vehicles that ran you off the road without touching you, and stolen vehicles. UM is meant to put you roughly where you’d be if the other driver had been insured.

One trap worth knowing. For a hit-and-run or a phantom vehicle, Oregon requires two steps. First, report the crash — to police, another officer, or ODOT — within 72 hours. Then file a sworn statement with your own insurer within 30 days after that. Miss those deadlines and the UM claim can be gone, no matter how badly you were hurt. If you’re reading this after a hit-and-run and haven’t filed a police report yet, do that today.

What Is Underinsured Motorist (UIM) Coverage?

UIM coverage pays you when the at-fault driver does have insurance, but not enough to cover what you’re owed. It doesn’t kick in just because their limits look small. It kicks in once you’ve actually collected everything you can from their insurance, through a settlement or a judgment. From there, UIM makes up the difference, up to your own UM/UIM limit.

Oregon requires every auto policy to carry UM/UIM coverage. Your limits automatically match your liability limits. The only way around that is a written statement choosing lower ones, down to the state’s minimum of $25,000/$50,000. You can lower it, but you can’t get rid of it. Most drivers never check this number until they need it. That’s exactly the wrong time to find out it’s low.

What We Actually See at the Front Desk

In our Portland office, this conversation usually starts one of two ways. Either PIP has run out on a longer recovery, and the patient is asking who pays next. (We cover that timeline in what happens when your PIP runs out.) Or the crash report comes back showing the other driver had no insurance, or not enough, and the patient is asking whether treatment can continue.

In that second case, UM/UIM is almost always the coverage thats up next. It isn’t automatic the way PIP is. We’re not in a position to interpret your policy or negotiate a UM/UIM claim. But we document injuries and treatment the same way, no matter which coverage ends up paying. That record is what any insurer, or attorney, will eventually need.

A Quick Example

Say a patient is rear-ended at a stoplight near the Fremont Bridge, and the at-fault driver carries only Oregon’s minimum coverage — $25,000. Here’s roughly how it can play out:

• Oregon PIP pays the first chiropractic and imaging bills right away, no fault determination needed.
• If the total damages — medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering — add up to more than $25,000, and that $25,000 has actually been paid out, the patient’s own UIM coverage can make up the difference.

How to Check Your Own Coverage Before You Need It

Most of this is invisible until you need it. Worth doing now, before a crash:

1. Find your UM/UIM limits on your declarations page — they’re usually listed near your liability limits, not your PIP section.
2. Ask your agent whether you’ve ever signed anything lowering your UM/UIM limits. Oregon won’t let you drop it entirely, but you can lower it to the state minimum — some drivers do this without realizing it.
3. Check your PIP limit too. Most policies carry exactly $15,000, but some insurers let you buy more.
4. If you’re ever unsure how your coverage works after a crash, an Oregon auto-injury attorney can read your policy far better than a search result can.

FAQ: UM/UIM and Oregon PIP

What’s the difference between UM and UIM?

UM covers you when the at-fault driver has no insurance at all — in Oregon, that also includes hit-and-run drivers, phantom vehicles, and stolen vehicles. UIM covers you when they do have insurance, but not enough, and only once their coverage has actually been paid out.

Can I still get chiropractic care if the other driver was uninsured?

Yes. Oregon PIP pays no matter who caused the crash or whether they had insurance, so treatment usually starts the same way it would after any other crash. See what to expect at your first chiropractor visit after a car accident for what that first appointment looks like.

How long do I have to sort out a PIP or UM/UIM claim in Oregon?

PIP has its own timeline — see how long you have to file a PIP claim in Oregon. UM/UIM has a separate, easy-to-miss rule. Within two years of the crash, you need to either settle with your insurer, formally start arbitration, or file suit against them. It’s the same two-year number as PIP’s benefit window. But it means something different — one more reason to loop in an attorney early rather than late.

Sources

Oregon statutory figures in this article were verified against primary sources on July 26, 2026.

1. ORS 742.524 — Contents of personal injury protection benefits ($15,000 aggregate; expenses incurred within two years).
2. ORS 742.520 — Personal injury protection benefits required on motor vehicle liability policies.
3. ORS 742.526 — Primary nature of benefits (when PIP is primary and when it is excess).
4. ORS 742.502 — Uninsured motorist coverage required; underinsurance coverage; limits and written choice of lower limits.
5. ORS 742.504 — Required provisions of uninsured motorist coverage (hit-and-run, phantom and stolen vehicles; 72-hour reporting; UIM exhaustion; two-year accrual rule).
6. ORS 806.070 — Minimum payment schedule ($25,000 / $50,000 / $20,000).
7. Oregon DMV — Insurance Requirements.
8. Oregon Division of Financial Regulation — Car insurance FAQs.
9. Insurance Research Council — Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists: 2017–2023 (national figures; the IRC does not publish an Oregon-specific rate).

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This article is for general information and is not legal advice. Insurance policy language and Oregon law can be fact-specific — consult a licensed Oregon attorney about your own PIP or UM/UIM claim before making decisions about a settlement.

Dr. Mike Kam, DC treats auto injury patients at Crash Care Clinics in Portland, Oregon, and has worked directly with PIP and UM/UIM claims at the front desk for years — not as legal advice, but as the person coordinating care while those claims get sorted out.