States laws and insurance company guidelines may differ but if there is no grace period given to you by either and you paid your monthly payment late then the incident that totaled your vehicle would not be covered.
If you pay for your insurance after the cancellation date then for the days in which you were without insurance there was a gap or lapse in coverage. It would appear that your insurance was not in effect at the time of your accident and that is why your insurance provider is able to turn down your claim.
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