Driving in LA's K-town, anything can happen. 

On my usual commute home, at the intersection of 8th and Vermont, as the traffic light was flashing yellow and about to end, I was quickly trying to make a left turn behind the car in front of me when I heard a loud 'bang!' from the right rear door and my car shook violently. Turning my head, I saw a pickup truck that was going straight had hit my car.

Fortunately, no one was injured, and only the car took the impact, so I collected myself and pulled over to the side of the road.

I was thinking, "Let's exchange insurance and wrap this up," but then, to my surprise, the pickup truck just drove off. I looked back and saw it simply turn right and disappear. It was a hit-and-run, right at that moment.

Having never experienced this before, I was stunned. I debated whether to chase after it, but I thought reporting to the police was a priority, so I immediately called LAPD. The police arrived about three minutes later, calmly asked about the accident, and wrote up a report.

The problem came next.

When I called my insurance company to explain the situation, the representative said, "If it's a hit-and-run, you need Uninsured Motorist Property Damage (UMPD) coverage for the other party's liability to be covered. However, your policy does not include UM."

At that moment, I recalled when I renewed my insurance a few months ago, the agent had asked if I wanted to include UM, and I had removed it to save some money. My heart sank.

The good news was that I had Collision Coverage, which allowed me to cover the repair costs through insurance. Of course, there was a condition: I had to pay a deductible of $500.

The estimate for the car repairs came to a total of $1,500. Out of this, $500 came from my pocket, and the remaining $1,000 was covered by insurance. If I had had UM, I could have likely covered it without the deductible, but ultimately, the difference in one insurance option cost me cash out of my wallet.

After leaving my car at the repair shop for a few days, I managed my commutes with Uber. I was incredibly relieved that I wasn't physically hurt, but I learned a painful lesson: "If you cut corners on insurance, you end up losing out."

Honestly, even now, the image of that old pickup truck driving away lingers in my mind.

Thinking, 'Is that person still driving around without a care?' makes me angry, but I also know the reality that the chances of the police catching them are slim, which is disheartening.

After going through this incident, I realized that insurance is not just something you "have to have" but rather "a shield for my life."

Especially in a complex area like K-town, options like UM, Collision, and Medical Payment are not luxuries but necessities.

In the end, I lost $500 from this accident, but I gained a significant lesson.

In the future, I will definitely add the UM option when renewing my insurance. Please don't remove options just to save a few bucks on your premiums. If you ever experience a hit-and-run like I did, it could cost you thousands of dollars.

Living in K-town seems to mean facing these unexpected events every day.

If anyone reading my experience today takes away anything, it's that insurance is not about saving money, but about protection.

And if an accident occurs, the first and most important principle is to remain calm and report to the police first.