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:
- 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.
- 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.
- If you experience any pain at all, go directly to the hospital or doctor.
- If you are seriously injured, wait for paramedics to arrive to examine you.
- Notify your insurance company as soon as you are able. But remember, never begin the settlement negotiation process until you are fully recovered.
READ MORE: accident documentation, before an accident happens, medical treatment
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: Female
Age: 20’s
Type of accident: Female was hit from behind at a stop light and pushed into the car in front of her
At-fault insurance company: Nationwide
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READ MORE: how much is my personal injury car accident settlement worth?, medical treatment, pain and suffering, recent personal injury settlements
Some insurance companies will try and tell you that you have to use their partner body shop in order to get your car fixed. This is not the case and you should know that you have the right to pick any auto body shop that you want to use so long as their estimate is consistent with other body shops.
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READ MORE: property damage
From Seven Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Auto Accident Case comes good advice on “myths” about personal injury cases and the insurance industry. Just because someone told you something doesn’t mean it’s true.
- You must give a recorded statement to the at-fault insurance company or your claim will be denied.
- You must sign a medical authorization at the request of the at-fault insurance company or your claim will be denied.
- If you make a claim for uninsured motorist benefits, your insurance company will raise your insurance rates. Read the rest of this entry »
READ MORE: car crash myths, insurance companies
There seems to be an unwritten rule in the medical community, NEVER WORK WITH ATTORNEYS BECAUSE THEY ARE BAD FOR BUSINESS. Although there may be some truth to that statement, the fact remains that at some point, you may need to hire an attorney to help you with your personal injury claim if the insurance company does not want to play nice. If that time ever comes, it would be nice if your treating physician and the attorney are on the same page.
Most medical professionals will tell you that working with attorneys has caused them nothing but trouble. Think about it, medical professionals carry medical malpractice insurance and why is that? Because they get sued by attorneys. Its as if they are born to be enemies. However, in 0rder to have a successful claim against the insurance company, you need both the medical doctors and the attorneys to be on the same team. Your Team!
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READ MORE: lawyers, medical treatment
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: Read the rest of this entry »
READ MORE: accident documentation, insurance companies, lawyers, medical treatment, pain and suffering, property damage
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: 30’s
Type of accident: Male gets t-boned while driving through an intersection
At-fault insurance company: State Farm and Allstate
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READ MORE: before an accident happens, how much is my personal injury car accident settlement worth?, recent personal injury settlements
When negotiating your personal injury claim with the insurance adjuster, it boils down to how much you value your personal injury claim vs. how much the insurance company values your injury claim. It’s really quite simply, you were injured and had your life adversely affected by the negligence of some other driver. You incurred medical expenses and other costs due to your injury (aka. special damages). On top of that, you were unable to perform some of your normal daily activities and may have missed out on what life had to offer you during those months you were injured (aka. general damages or pain and suffering). When you add the value of your special damages along with your general damages, you get the value of your personal injury claim.
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READ MORE: how much is my personal injury car accident settlement worth?, medical treatment, negotiation tips, pain and suffering
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: Male stopped at a red light is hit from behind and pushed into the car in front of him
At-fault insurance company: Allstate
Read the rest of this entry »
READ MORE: how much is my personal injury car accident settlement worth?, medical treatment, recent personal injury settlements
This is a hot topic and frankly, what better way to get more readers than to discuss a hot topic like Obama’s health care reform (google rankings, here I come). You see, I think I have a solution to the problem and really, we already have a system in place here in America that we can look to as a model when discussing health care reform and you know what, it works pretty darn good. I’m not saying its perfect, but I am saying with a little tweaking, this model could help our politicians develop the best health care system in the world. This is America after all. We don’t follow other countries, we lead other countries to new and better places with our innovating spirit and drive. When discussing health care reform, look no further than our own auto insurance industry as a road map for success.
1. How do you insure every single person? In the auto insurance business, every single person that wants insurance can buy insurance. There is not one single person out there that can’t find auto insurance. Even though a bad driver may have higher premiums than a good driver, the bad driver can still find someone out there that is willing to take their premiums every month and insure that individual. Health insurance should be the same way. Health insurance companies should not be allowed to deny someone because of prior medical problems. “But won’t the insurance companies charge too much to insure someone with lots of prior medical problems?” Maybe, but that leads me to my next point.
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