If you were injured in a car accident, you have the right to pursue appropriate compensation for your injuries. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go to court to get the compensation you deserve. In most cases, an experienced car accident lawyer can negotiate with the insurance company to get you a reasonable settlement offer. However, if the insurance company won’t make an acceptable offer within a reasonable amount of time, you may face a decision about whether to accept a lower settlement offer or take your case to court. These are a few of the factors that may influence your decision to settle. Your Injuries Might Influence the Decision to Settle Your Case Settling your claim helps get a check in your hand sooner than going to court. It also helps minimize our legal fees and saves you from going through the hassle of a trial. However, if you have injuries that will require ongoing treatment – or if the exact nature or extent of your injuries has yet to be determined – your lawyer may advise holding off on a settlement. Likewise, if your injuries prevent you from going back to work right away, you may want to wait until you know when you can go back to work and whether you can resume your old job duties. Once you accept a settlement, you essentially sign away your ability to pursue the at-fault party for any further damages. The Value of Your Car Accident Claim Can Influence Your Settlement Ultimately, the insurance company will do everything they can to limit how much they have to pay out for your claim. The higher the amount of your claim, the longer they’re likely to try to draw out the negotiation process. In many cases, this will involve a series of settlement offers that fall below the value of your claim. If that happens, your car accident attorney can help you consider the pros and cons of settling for a lower amount as compared to waiting it out or going to court. The statute of limitations requires you to file legal action within a specified period, which will also influence your decision about settling your case or going...
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The Car Accident You were in a car accident. Your car was damaged, but the worst part is the injuries you suffered. Cars can be replaced or repaired, the things you were planning to do that day can wait, but your physical body cannot be replaced and sometimes the restoration of your health comes at a significant cost. Car Accident Medical Bills Add Up Quickly If you were seriously injured in the car accident most likely you were taken by ambulance to a hospital. The ambulance ride alone could cost you around $1,000- $2,000, possibly more. Then you add on the cost of the emergency room visit which can range from $1,000 to $10,000, or higher, depending on where you are seen and what tests are performed. And sadly, these costs are just the beginning. Many times surgeries are required for significant injuries. When you go into surgery you will not only being paying for your doctor to perform the surgeries, but you will also be paying for the facility in which the surgery is done and the anesthesiologist that assists with the surgery. Even if surgery is not required, many car accident victims spend weeks and months going to a chiropractor or physical therapist to get relief from back and neck injuries. What to Do with the Car Accident Medical Bills? The amount of medical bills that start piling up after a car accident can be staggering! Fortunately, you do not have to handle those bills alone. The PIP (Personal Injury Protection) coverage on your Utah automobile insurance policy will be the first amount paid towards your bills. Utah law requires motorists to carry a minimum of $3,000 in PIP coverage. What to Do Once the PIP Coverage Is Used Up? However, often times the PIP coverage is not enough to cover your incurred bills. If the accident was not your fault you will often receive compensation from the “at-fault” driver’s insurance or the insurance of the driver that caused the car accident. Often times this insurance company will quickly offer you a small settlement amount. However, this is where it can get a little tricky. Sometimes when the settlement is offered you are not sure what the...
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Car accidents can be a huge hassle! You have to take care of your injuries, some of which require significant time visiting doctors and can affect you for a long time. Also, depending on the type of accident, it is very likely that you will have to deal with damage to your car. This damage can be anything from a minor scuff to a completely totaled car. No matter the degree of damage, having a broken car can be a major inconvenience to your life. Should I use my own insurance or the other driver’s insurance for car repairs? When you choose to address the damage to your car, you have two choices: use your own insurance or use the insurance of the “at-fault driver”. There are pros and cons to each option. Hopefully as you continue to read you will be able to decide which option is best for you in your situation. Using Your Own Insurance There are a few reasons it would be a good choice to have your car repair paid for by your own insurance. Most likely you will have a better, friendlier experience when you interact with your own insurance carrier. This is because they have the incentive of trying to keep you as a customer. Therefore, they may be more responsive to your requests regarding your car repair and also just answering the phone or returning your calls in general. One reason not to use your own insurance is the fact that you will need to pay the deductible up-front. Although it is important to note that if there is a settlement with the “at-fault driver’s” insurance or if they accept responsibility for the accident, you will likely get the deductible money back. Some insurance companies are even waiving the deductible requirements if the other insurance company accepts responsibility. However, some deductibles can be high and you may have to wait to get that money back on a repaired vehicle. On a totaled vehicle, they may deduct your deductible from the amount they are giving you on your totaled car. If your deductible is $1,000, that is a lot of money to be waiting on. Another big concern is whether or not...
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While driving through residential streets the term “car accident lawyer” is hardly likely to be running through your head. However, in a split second things can change, accidents can happen, and making a call to an car accident lawyer may be one of the next things you will need to do. This is especially true on residential streets. There is a good reason that the speed limit is reduced in residential areas. With cars backing out of driveways, children playing, and reduced visibility it is often necessary to make sudden stops. If you are driving above the speed limit, which unfortunately, seems to happen quite often, it may be too difficult to stop in time. If you find yourself in that type of a situation, a car accident lawyer can help. I recently represented a client that found himself in a difficult situation, which necessitated a car accident lawyer. This client was unable to stop his vehicle in time to avoid hitting a car that was backing out of a driveway. As a car accident lawyer I was able to help this client see that, although he had hit the other vehicle, it was not his fault. This client was able to, through me, his car accident lawyer, have his medical bills and treatment covered by the liability insurance. As a car accident lawyer, I would hope that you would never find yourself in this type of situation as either the person who struck another vehicle or as the person backing out of the driveway. Be extra cautious as you drive through residential areas. Even if you are driving the posted speed limit it is necessary to keep all attention on the road. In residential areas the driving conditions can change in an instant; children run into streets, cars back out of driveways, cars stop unexpectedly. Driving the speed limit will ensure that you can have adequate reaction time when these unexpected circumstances arise. Use caution when you are pulling into or out of a driveway. Be aware of things that make visibility difficult. Shrubs, mailboxes, other homes, and even sunlight can make it difficult for other drivers to see you. As a car accident lawyer, I advise people...
Read MoreParking lots may seem like a relatively safe place to drive: People tend to drive slowly and the majority of cars are not actually moving because they are parked. But this assumption could not be further from the truth. Parking lots are a very hazard place to drive! Yes, people do tend to drive slower in parking lots, but this is not always the case. Also, drivers can be very distracted while maneuvering through the parking lot. This distraction leads to many car accidents. Whether the driver that caused the car accident was preoccupied with finding a spot to park or simply looking out for pedestrians, it doesn’t matter, the results are the same, a car accident can be the result of this improper lookout. I just represented a client that was driving on a private street that divided several parking lots when this client was involved in a car accident. While driving on this private street my client’s car was struck by another driver that was pulling out of the adjoining parking lot. This car accident could have been prevented. The other driver did not feel that it was necessary to stop when pulling out of the parking lot because there was no stop sign posted. Although there was no stop sign, a known rule of the road is that you must stop when merging from a smaller road or driveway to a larger road. This is why you won’t see a stop sign at the end of every driveway or small road. It is known that when merging with a major road, the major road has the right-of-way. The other driver should have known that in this instance and yielded the right-of-way. Often times there will NOT be posted stop signs in parking lots; however, it is best to yield when in doubt. Yielding or stopping could be the difference between safely making it to your destination or months of bills and pain and injury. This car accident has resulted in significant pain and suffering for my client. Because of this collision my client suffered a concussion, multiple bulging discs, numbness of limbs and shoulder pain. My client’s life was changed by a simple failure to yield...
Read MoreWest Jordan Car Accident. I recently represented a client who was involved in a West Jordan Car Accident. I had previously represented this client for another West Jordan car accident. She was hit from behind in both car accidents in West Jordan. This time the damage to her car was not substantial, but still the bumper was dented in. I was recently asked if it seems strange to represent clients who have been involved in multiple car accidents, just like this West Jordan car accident. What I have found over the years is that most of my clients who are in repeat car accidents are doing absolutely nothing wrong when they are in another car accident. For example, in this West Jordan car accident, my client was sitting there stopped at a red-light and she had been stopped for quite some time. She was doing absolutely nothing wrong! This is the same as her first car accident. What could she have done differently that any of us would have done differently to avoid this West Jordan car accident? Nothing. All of us come to a stop at a red light and wait for the light to change. So it seems to me, that those involved in multiple car accidents just seem to have bad luck. Now there can be exceptions to that rule, but I have generally found this to be the case after handling thousands of car accident cases over the years. To further illustrate this point, although it was not a West Jordan car accident, I once represented a client who was involved in three car accidents within a period of a few months. In every car accident, he was at a stop at a red-light or at a stop sign and was hit from behind, although fortunately he was only hurt in one of the car accidents. He did nothing wrong in all three car accidents. Even more strange, he had a bright yellow vehicle, which should have stood out and been far more visible than other cars. If that does not highlight the randomness and fact that some people just seem to have bad luck when it comes to car accidents, I don’t know what...
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