PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Settling With an Insurance Company: Proceed With Caution

In dealing with insurance companies after a motor-vehicle accident, be extremely cautious and consult your own lawyer.

2010-08-27
August 27, 2010 (Press-News.org) Serious car and motor vehicle accidents are rare in most people's lives, and even minor accidents don't happen very often to most people. So people are usually not ready to deal with the overwhelming insurance, financial and medical problems that can happen from car crashes. If you are injured in a bad accident, suddenly you must cope with insurance adjusters, hospital stays, doctor visits and medical bills. These extra burdens cause extra stress just at the time you are trying to heal physically and psychologically from your injuries from the accident.

Most of us generally think that insurance will provide us security and safety if something goes wrong. We often place too much faith in the system, believing that an insurance company will take care of all our bills and be fair with us. In many situations insurance policies can make bad situations better. However, ultimately insurance companies are interested in protecting the bottom line, and often, injured people have to fight with insurers to receive full and fair payment of medical and property losses and damages from car accidents.

If you are dealing with an insurance company after a car, truck, motorcycle or other motor vehicle accident, be careful! The important thing to remember is that the insurance adjusters and lawyers working for that insurer are not your friends, even if they are polite and sympathetic.

From the minute an accident occurs, everything you say and do could be used against you as evidence in a court trial. The insurance company will begin gathering potentially harmful evidence immediately and you should exercise extreme caution. For example, you may think that telling an insurance adjuster about your previous surgery, or previous back or neck pain will help the adjuster understand that your injury is more serious than it appears at first. But the adjuster will likely use that information against you by saying the pain you have now must be from the previous incidents you described.

Seek Legal Advice Quickly

The best protection is to contact a personal injury attorney as early as possible after the accident. A lawyer can help you find medical care, check out your insurance benefits, investigate your claim, gather favorable evidence and protect you from the insurance company. Do not delay; evidence deteriorates, memories fade and deadlines for legal claims pass.

Remember, the insurance company probably handles millions or billions of dollars worth of claims and has an army of employees on its side. Don't go it alone without an experienced professional on your side.

The Insurance Adjuster

The insurance company will appoint an insurance adjuster to investigate and evaluate an accident. The adjuster's job is to gather evidence helpful to the insurer, so you should be cautious in what you share with him or her. Do not give a statement -- oral, written or recorded -- without consulting your own lawyer first. While it might seem harmless to just tell the truth about what happened, you could inadvertently hurt your case.

Similarly, do not sign property damage releases, or medical or other releases of information without a personal injury lawyer's advice.

The adjuster will be interested in whether there have been gaps in your medical treatment that could indicate things are not as severe as you report. However, you may have legitimate reasons for such gaps that do not reflect on the injury's severity. An injury lawyer should be able to guide you to receive appropriate care and arrange ways of getting it paid for.

Significance of the Deposition

With a good personal injury attorney, most cases can be settled outside of court. However, if your case cannot be settled, your lawyer will file a complaint with the appropriate court, and the insurance company will begin the court process called "discovery."

In addition to asking you questions in writing, the insurance company will want to take your deposition. A deposition is an official proceeding in which the insurance company's lawyer will ask you questions on the record. At this deposition it can be crucial for you to be represented by legal counsel to protect you from inappropriate questioning.

The deposition may be the insurer's first chance to see how you will behave as a witness should the matter end up in trial. The insurance company's evaluation of how you would testify can be an important factor in its decision whether to settle or proceed to trial. The insurer will use your performance at the deposition to evaluate your credibility and the impression you are likely to make on a jury.

The insurance company will depose you about your background, previous accidents and injuries, and all the details of the current accident, including who the other witnesses were. It will be particularly interested in how your current injuries affect your daily life, and may ask questions on a variety of subjects:
- Have you been unable to work? What is the value of the lost time from work?
- How have your activities of daily life been affected?
- Are there activities you enjoy or need to do to care for yourself that have become harder or impossible because of your injuries?
- Do you have physical limitations in standing, walking, sitting, lifting or movement?
- Are there significant symptoms that are harder to measure like pain, depression, anxiety, fatigue, or difficulty with concentration or mental functioning?Has your doctor told you there may be long-term ramifications to your injuries?

Soft-Tissue Injury

The insurance company investigating your auto accident claim may closely scrutinize injuries that cause severe pain without supporting objective medical findings. For example, muscle, nerve or tendon damage can cause serious pain and limitations -- but these injuries are not nearly as easy to prove as something like a broken bone that can be proven by an x-ray.

When a slow-speed car accident occurs in which vehicles sustain little damage, the insurance company's adjuster may argue that the minor nature of the impact could not have caused your serious medical conditions. Having your doctor document your symptoms and limitations is important, even if your doctor cannot measure the problem with a picture or test. Even a fender bender can sometimes cause a serious soft-tissue injury.

In such cases, your doctor and your attorney will need to show how and why the low impact crash harmed you. For example, perhaps you are more fragile because of your age or other physical problems. Or you may be physically more susceptible to harm because of an earlier injury or pre-existing medical condition. The insurer will also want to find out if your doctor has any doubts about the nature or severity of your injury.

The insurance company may even have its own doctor examine you, who will then report that there is nothing wrong with you.

Be Careful

Remember to contact an experienced lawyer with a record of dealing effectively with insurance companies in car crash cases. He or she can protect you throughout the insurer's investigation and settlement negotiations, as well as evaluate whether the insurance company is acting in good faith.

Article provided by Injury Law Center - Law Offices of Jack Bloxham
Visit us at www.jackbloxham.com


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Huntington Beach Police Take Novel Approach to Reducing Drunk Driving

2010-08-27
In an effort to curb drunk driving in Huntington Beach, California, police officers are considering some unusual tactics. Among other things, the Huntington Beach Police Department has announced that it may begin posting the names of people accused of drunk driving on its website. Previously, those suspected of drunk driving were named in the Huntington Beach Independent, a local newspaper. With a shift in editorial policy though, the paper has discontinued this practice, and the Police Department is considering alternative means of conveying this information. According ...

Back Disk Injuries

2010-08-27
When you hear about herniated disks and serious back injuries in the media, it is most often in conjunction with the latest NFL player on the disability list. The beginning of this football season has already brought progress reports of recovery for Rams' running back Steven Jackson and Giants offensive lineman Shawn Andrews - both returning from back-related injuries. But you don't have to be a professional football player to suffer a spinal disk injury. Spinal disk injuries can happen to anyone in the blink of an eye - all it takes is the improper lifting of a heavy ...

Leading Scottsboro Alabama Hotel Offers Nearby Accommodations to Guests Attending Art in the Park.

2010-08-27
Hampton Inn & Suites Scottsboro Alabama Hotel offers attendees at the 37th Annual Art in the Park show a nearby place to stay. The event will take place at King Caldwell Park in Scottsboro, AL on Sunday, September 5, 2010 from 8:00am - 5:00pm. Art in the Park features exhibitors of original fine arts and crafts. In addition, there will be a Youth Photography Contest for kids in K through 12th grade. Art in the Park is presented by The Three Arts Club, which is an organization interested in service to the community. Their purpose is to serve by stimulating interest in ...

Affordable Spartanburg Hotel Provides Convenient Accommodations to Fans Attending Wofford College Fall Football

2010-08-27
Hampton Inn Spartanburg - North I-85, a premier Spartanburg hotel, offers comfortable accommodations to nearby Wofford College Football games. The Wofford Terrier's first home game will be held on September 18, 2010 at 7:00pm. The school will be playing Union College of Kentucky. Wofford College, founded in 1854, is a liberal arts college located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Wofford has a strong athletics program. Seventeen men's and women's teams compete in NCAA Division I sports including football, basketball, ...

The ICMA Centre Announces Promotion for Dr Adrian Bell

2010-08-27
The ICMA Centre has announced the promotion of Dr Adrian Bell. Dr Bell will be promoted to Professor on 1 October this year. Dr Bell, who has been with the ICMA Centre since 1994, has been instrumental in the development of both the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in his role as School Director of Teaching and Learning. He also developed the distance-learning option for the ICMA Centre's suite of Masters in Finance degrees with the Centre's New Media Solutions Manager - the first distance learning Masters in Finance degrees in the UK delivered using e-lectures. Professor ...

LV Research Suggests Equity Release Set to Become Big Growth Area for IFAs

2010-08-27
LV= conducted new research at its recent equity release road shows that reveals IFAs believe equity release is set to become a big growth area for their future business, helping to deal with the needs of the UK's aging population. Research amongst IFAs that attended the road shows, which took place in May this year, showed that nearly all (98%) of them believe that there will be a surge in consumers using equity release over the next few years. 35% of the IFAs that attended said that equity release is already a core part of their business. When looking into the reasons ...

Superbreak Re-Launches Groups and Specialist Sales Department

2010-08-27
Superbreak has re-launched its Groups Department and created a new Groups and Specialist Sales team. The eight-strong team will now handle a diverse range of business from school and college groups through to the more traditional group business of hen and stag weekends. The department has been set up to handle all bookings 10+ adults or for 5 or more rooms and will be on hand 6 days a week by phone. The York-based tour operator has made the move due to seeing continued real growth in its group travel bookings, with a year on year increase of 14%. This business is primarily ...

Topless Travel Site Launches, Offers #1 Topless Travel Destinations

Topless Travel Site Launches, Offers #1 Topless Travel Destinations
2010-08-27
Topless Travel has launched and is in full effect to register couples for lifestyle travel. Topless Travel has been given the responsibility to create, organize and facilitate travel events specifically for the members of www.SwingLifestyle.com. The staff at Topless Travel have15 years of experience in the "Lifestyle" travel industry. The travel destinations range from a Costa Rica adventure, to a Jamaican getaway. The exotic destinations are an "open" adult adventure for couples and singles. Couples can meet local Latin ladies interested in joining the swinger activities ...

Banned in U.S., World's First Punk Rock Opera, Everyhead, Surfaces with New YouTube Video, "Banned Music Banned Art", Featuring Jim Warren's Nude Painting "Sexual Explosion"

Banned in U.S., Worlds First Punk Rock Opera, Everyhead, Surfaces with New YouTube Video, Banned Music Banned Art, Featuring Jim Warrens Nude Painting Sexual Explosion
2010-08-27
The revival of Everyhead, the world's first punk rock opera, surfaces with a new YouTube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r81-WmoLR0I - entitled "Banned Music Banned Srt," which features Everyhead's protest anthem "Iffa Wanna," banned in 1975, and Jim Warren's famous surreal nude painting, "Sexual Explosion," now exhibited online at http://www.Artcollectorswebsite.Com/. "Sexual Explosion" was banned in the U.S. in 1976 from public exhibition for its controversial nudity. Created by Art Videos Are Us ( http://www.Artvideosareus.Com/), "Banned Music Banned Art" ...

Fortune Lounge Online Casinos Set To Launch The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Online Slot Game

Fortune Lounge Online Casinos Set To Launch The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Online Slot Game
2010-08-26
It has been announced recently that Microgaming will create a unique series of online video slot games based on the popular The Lord of the Rings movie Trilogy. Based on this, players at all of the Fortune Lounge Online Casinos including Platinum Play Online Casino are able to play a series of advanced, graphic-enriched online slot games featuring many of the popular characters, themes and materials from the three title films in the series; namely, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

IOP Publishing and IPEM mandate reporting of sex and gender in research 

Dogs trained to detect trauma stress by smelling humans’ breath

Electronic device thermal management made simpler and slightly better!

Study: Dangerous surgical site infections can be reduced with simple prevention protocol

Genetic testing of patients with atrial fibrillation can alert clinicians to potential development of life-threatening conditions

Artificial Intelligence tool successfully predicts fatal heart rhythm

What progress has China made in agriculture green development over the past five years?

ALMA finds new molecular signposts in starburst galaxy

Open waste burning linked to air pollution in Northwestern Greenland

Google Street View reveals how built environment correlates with risk of cardiovascular disease

Connecting the dots to shape growth forces

Parental avoidance of toxic exposures could help prevent autism, ADHD in children, new study shows

Trends in the incidence of renal replacement therapy due to rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis in Japan, 2006–2021

Olympics not likely to swallow up skateboarding’s subversive nature into its corporate spectacle, study says

Looking after the NHS workforce must be a top priority, say experts

Prolonged use of certain hormone drugs linked to increased brain tumor risk

Delirium a ‘strong risk factor’ for dementia among older people

People experiencing homelessness more likely to develop dementia at younger ages, study finds

Can metalens be commercialized at a fraction of the cost?

Reclaim ‘wellness’ from the rich and famous, and restore its political radicalism, new book argues

Curtin research unlocks supernova stardust secrets

New documents reveal patient safety concerns over strike day cover

UTA hosts Solar-bration watch party for April 8 eclipse

Researchers discover molecule that promotes production of cancer cells in triple-negative breast cancer

New tool provides researchers with improved understanding of stem cell aging in the brain

Around half of people living with HIV in developed countries are now aged 50 years and over and at higher risk of becoming frail and having multiple comorbidities

You are never too old for an STI – more older adults being diagnosed with STIs such as gonorrhea and syphilis

University of Minnesota researchers introduce enhanced brain signal analysis technique

Aston University research center to focus on using AI to improve lives

Robot, can you say ‘cheese’?

[Press-News.org] Settling With an Insurance Company: Proceed With Caution
In dealing with insurance companies after a motor-vehicle accident, be extremely cautious and consult your own lawyer.