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Any lawyers on here handle car accidents?
- Thread starter Madrox
- Start date
The other day in court, while I waited for my client's case to be called, I watched a plaintiff lose a suit over a car wreck and lower back injuries.
The only issue was alleged injury, and what it was worth in dollars.
Defendant admitted the wreck was his fault.
Defendant's insurance company paid the body shop for the repair work to Plaintiff's car (bumper dented and scratched).
But Defendant said Plaintiff wasn't hurt and didn't need any medical care.
Plaintiff brought invoices and receipts showing $10,000 worth of chiropractic care and massage therapy.
But... Plaintiff did not have any medical professional testify that such care was "medically necessary" due to the accident, instead of maybe him just getting old, or some pre-existing condition, or maybe he just likes getting back rubs!
The only issue was alleged injury, and what it was worth in dollars.
Defendant admitted the wreck was his fault.
Defendant's insurance company paid the body shop for the repair work to Plaintiff's car (bumper dented and scratched).
But Defendant said Plaintiff wasn't hurt and didn't need any medical care.
Plaintiff brought invoices and receipts showing $10,000 worth of chiropractic care and massage therapy.
But... Plaintiff did not have any medical professional testify that such care was "medically necessary" due to the accident, instead of maybe him just getting old, or some pre-existing condition, or maybe he just likes getting back rubs!
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This^^^^^^ Don't think you can handle it on your own. The insurance companies have bullpens full of attorneys to protect their interests.
I mainly handle birdlaw.
ya, was ot clinton harkins or richards law lol
Have you had to deal the smith group yet? Them dbags handle wellstars ****. I even found a PowerPoint online they had produced as part of their marketing outreach to hospitals outlining how their firm could recover the most; it specifically was aimed at north Florida and used statues there as a means of justifying the reneging of contracted rates by asserting the lien and its recovery rate held a priority over any health insurance plan
It should be ****ing illegal
When my 335 was hit by another driver who crossed over into my lane I hired a former insurance adjuster named Bob West. He is well known in the industry. He charged $250 and wrote a letter to the insurance company which caused them to significantly increase their Decrease in Value amount. If you want his # PM me.
The settling that I was speaking of earlier was with my insurance company a few years ago. I dealt with them when my daughter totaled her Jeep Cherokee. It had less than 8,000 miles on it and they only wanted to pay it off. I said hell no after I had put a large down payment and my daughter had traded her car in on it. I didn't accept their first offer. They made me a nice offer afterwards. As far as a settlement with another insurance company, I would never even talk to them. They would talk to my lawyer.
On another note,,,
I just found out that some states allow insurance companies to write $10,000 polices on vehicles. The maximum they will pay is $10,000, no matter what. So, if you own a $40,000 vehicle that is totaled by one of their policy holders, you are only getting paid $10,000 total. Your insurance company has to file an (uninsured) under insured motorist claim.
That's b/s.
On another note,,,
I just found out that some states allow insurance companies to write $10,000 polices on vehicles. The maximum they will pay is $10,000, no matter what. So, if you own a $40,000 vehicle that is totaled by one of their policy holders, you are only getting paid $10,000 total. Your insurance company has to file an (uninsured) under insured motorist claim.
That's b/s.
Thanks everyone for your help. I found a lawyer and am going through the steps. It’s sad that something that should be so easy, is such a pain in the ass to just be fair on your behalf.
Blame medicare/medicaid for why its such a damn hassle
That's for property damage to the other party. You auto insurance has 3 statutorily required components.
You will see some numbers like 25/100/10
The first number is the most YOUR company will pay for ONE individual's personal injuries.
The second number is the most YOUR insurance company will pay for the injuries to ALL the people you run over. In my example, you run over 6 people, they all don't get 20K
The last number is the most YOUR insurance company will pay for damage to the property of another. I haven't checked recently, but as far as I know $25,000 is the minimum for GA. This figure hasn't kept up with the increased value of vehicles. If that is your minimum, you personally will be on the hook for the difference between 25K and the damages to property - If you cannot pay that and you are sued, you can lose your driver's license.
Most people blow this off, although it is the coverage mostly likely to result in your personal liability for damages. Insurance companies don't push higher limits because they lose money on them - they are much happier if you are self insured for the damage you do to others.
Now if you have a vehicle worth more than $25,000, the risk of loss above that amount is on YOU. If your vehicle is financed you are going to be making payments on a vehicle sitting in a scrapyard, and not much you can do about that situation.
"Uninsured motorist's" insurance protects you against being damaged by a person with no insurance. Thanks to those liberal Georgia Courts, it also protects you when you have damages that exceed the amount of insurance the at fault party has - this is referred to as "underinsured coverage". It's not separate coverage, just how your UM coverage is interpreted.
The kicker is that UM coverage is optional for the insured. You have to sign a waiver to not purchase it, but 90% of the people signing it don't realize what they have done. UM insurance is insurance for YOUR injuries.
IMO most working and middle class Georgians are vastly underinsured on their UM coverage (not enough insurance). Agents don't push it, and most people don't fully understand how it works, and it's another 20 dollars a month premium they can do without. Especially considering we have something like half a million Mexicans one bus ticket away from Old Mexico.
So helpful hint for today is, review your own property damage limits in light of today's value for vehicles and repairs, and especially review your UM (does not mean "uninsured Messican" ) insurance.
