Archive for the ‘accident documentation’ Category

5 things to do immediately after being injured in an auto accident

If injured in an auto accident, there are several important steps to take immediately after an accident. Provided you are able, always do the following:

  1. Report the accident immediately to the police. They will conduct an initial investigation that should include accident reconstruction, documenting evidence, and the interviewing of witnesses.
  2. Record the names and contact information of all witnesses to the accident before they leave the scene and take pictures of the accident. This will help ensure the full value of your insurance claim.
  3. If you experience any pain at all, go directly to the hospital or doctor.
  4. If you are seriously injured, wait for paramedics to arrive to examine you.
  5. Notify your insurance company as soon as you are able. But remember, never begin the settlement negotiation process until you are fully recovered.

Posted in accident documentation, before an accident happens, medical treatment | Comments Off

7 biggest mistakes that can wreck your auto accident case

Savvy Car Crash Assist readers may have seen commercials or websites giving away copies of The Seven Biggest Mistakes That Can Wreck Your [insert state name here] Accident Case, in exchange for your contact information. The booklet seems to have been ghostwritten by someone, then sold throughout the nation to various attorneys who claim authorship. In any case, it summarizes many of the things we teach in our Settlement Booklet. They are as follows: (more…)

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Top 8 mistakes car accident victims make when dealing with doctors

Since you pay for car insurance, you’ll be taken care of in the event of an auto injury, right? Not entirely. Since car insurance companies are for profit corporations, they pinch and squeeze where they can to maximize their income, even at the expense of your health. But you can stay a step ahead of them and maximize your injury claim by avoiding the following: (more…)

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Male gets reimbursed for failing college courses

Part of our weekly series of case studies of recent car accident settlements. These case studies should help you determine the market value of your personal injury insurance claim. The finer details have been kept out to protect the identity of the individual, but the overall details are accurate and true.

Case Study

Gender: Male

Age: 20’s

Type of accident: The defendant ran a stop sign and collided with the male

At-fault insurance company: Allied

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What is a typical or average auto accident injury settlement?

This question is raised all the time. People want to know what they can expect to get from their accident settlement. Though there are definite patterns and averages for settlements, there are many variables within those patterns that will determine the value of your specific claim. Here are a list of things that can have an influence on the value of your specific claim:

1. What adjuster do you have working on your claim? Every adjuster evaluates claims slightly different. You may get an adjuster that is extremely tight with their evaluation or you might get an adjuster that is a little loose with their evaluation. Every person will see your claim slightly differently.

2. What kind of treatment did you receive for your injuries? Different forms of therapy are worth different amounts to insurance companies. Picking the right type of therapy will increase your chances of getting a little bit more in your settlement.

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How much is my insurance auto claim worth?

Everyone wants to know exactly how much their personal injury insurance claim is worth. Guessing the exact amount that your injury claim is worth is like predicting the winning numbers to the lottery. However, you can see trends with insurance companies and begin to get a good range that your claim might be worth.

The first thing to understanding how much your claim is worth is to break your claim down into two categories. The first category is your property damage. The more damage to your vehicle, the more likely you are seriously hurt. This isn’t always the case because cars are safer than they have ever been, but it is a good indication to the insurance company that you are more likely to be hurt in a serious accident versus a minor accident.

The second category is your actual medical treatment and therapy. This is the bulk of your evidence and where you really start to determine how much your accident claim is worth. If you have $500 in medical bills and you make a good recovery, your claim probably isn’t worth much more than just your medical bills. However, if you spent 3 days in the ICU and 6 months in recovery with 2 major surgeries and $60,000 in medical bills, your claim is obviously worth a lot more. The next step in determining the value of your injury claim is figuring out how the insurance company values your evidence and offers you pain and suffering for your injuries.

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Have a cell phone with a camera? Don’t leave home without it

If your cell phone doesn’t have a camera attached to it, please call your carrier right now and get a free upgrade with one that does. There is absolutely no excuse to not have access to a camera at all times to help you gather evidence if you are involved in a car crash.

Now that you have a shiny new camera phone, what should you be taking pictures of? Everything! Don’t let the other person move their car until you get lots of pictures of the damage, the accident scene, bruising, cuts and bleeding, weather conditions, traffic conditions, or just about anything else you can think of. The more pictures the better so don’t be timid in documenting the accident.

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