I have been in a car wreck, should i get a lawyer.?

Question

It was the other person's fault. My neck and back are massed up. i am now seeing a chiropractor for them. But, my bills will total to $10,000. I am not sure what i should do i have never been in a car wreck. And i really do not have any one else to ask. i really do not want to get the bad end of the deal with the insurance. I am a college student and i have to use my back everyday. Cause of my back pack. and it is hurting me every day to just go to class to class.

Answer 1

have you been in contact with your insurance company and the other

people's insurance?  do they know you are seeing a doctor?  don't get a lawyer unless there will be a fight about getting your bills paid

Answer 2

what about seeing a real doctor?

Answer 3

yes

Answer 4

One of my friends asked me this kind of questions before,I found helpful here.http://car-insurance.bestips.info/car-in...

Answer 5

Purchase a rolling back pack: http://www.landsend.com/pp/ClassMateWhee...

http://www.target.com/gp/search/602-7046...

That solves the whole have to use a back pack that hurts you problem.

As far as an attorney goes -- an attorney is not required to handle an injury claim. The adjuster will evaluate the value of the claim based on the injury. Having an attorney does not make the claim worth more.

An attorney will take 1/3 of any settlement you get (plus expenses) as his fee.

My suggestion is this -- try to work directly with the insurance adjuster.  The adjuster should walk you step by step through the process. Why give one third of your settlement to an attorney if you don't have to? If at any time, you get tired of working with the adjuster and decide its worth it to give a big chunk of any settlement you get to a lawyer - then go hire one.

P.S. - the insurance company is not "supposed to pay you 3x" the medicals. There is no multiplier.  Each claim is evaluated on it's own merits. No one here has remotely enough information to tell you what you claim is worth. But don't fall for that 3X the medical c**p. It's garbage and soft tissue claims (sprain/strain type injuries)  do not settle for 3x the meds. They settle for much less than that.

Answer 6

Mr. Stratego is a dduummbbffuucckk, do NOT listen to him. W2K bug is equally stupid- YOUR insurance company only needs to reimburse you for your medical expenses if you have them, not for the extra money the other person's insurance company will give you for pain and suffering. Also, just because you get paid from your insurance does not mean the other company doesn't ALSO owe that money to you.

OK, first of all, your chiro is jacking up the bill. The insurance company is supposed to pay 3x the medical bills, but will start you out at a low offer. YOu have to keep negotiating up.

I used to work for Allstate. Here is what I would recommend you do. Present all your bills when you are done- FIRST make sure they accept liability. Then negotiate- if they don't give you 2-3 times the medical bills for a settlement DON'T accept- threaten to get an attorney(which will not scare them at all, but it might make one final higher offer). If you don't get close to 3x the medical bills THEN and ONLY then, after you've tried yoruself, get an attorney.

JUST DON'T SETTLE until you are happy and if you think you need an attorney, don't settle before that. Try to do it without an attorney first- the reason I say that is because he will get 1/3 of your settlement.

Answer 7

That's what insurance is for.  Car insurance covers that.

Answer 8

Did you have insurance? They have lawyers and can help you get reimbured and whatever you need.

Answer 9

you are getting a lot of advice here some good and some not so good.

First if you are injured you need to contact your insurance company.  Why becuase you carry pip or mp and they will pay your bills as they accrue.  Meaning you go to the chiro for a week and the chiro will bill them and so on.  The at fault ins company will not make any settlement offer till you are completely done treating.  Then they will evaluate the injury based on many items, your age, medical condition, medical records as provided by the chiro or doctor, the type of damages to your vehicle, the amont of damage, and what type of injury do you have.   Make sure you get copies of your medical bills from your chiro,  YOU will need to send this to the at fault ins company cause you can be paid again for your medical bills (depending on the state in which you live which is why you should talk to your adjuster)  I live in texas and this is the case.  

Yes, you should give them a recorded statement.  NOT cooperating with the insurance company is not a good sign.  its like you have something to hide.  They want to ask you about the facts of the accidents and the injuries you sustained as well as any pre-existing injuries or medical conditions.  A recorded interivew is not a big dea.

As far as the settlement amount is concerned.  The 3x your meds is a myth!!!  anyone can treat for 10k.  It doesn't mean you NEEDED to treat for this amount.  Maybe you did but this is usually a major accident with a serious accident and not soft tissue.

Information gathered here should be used for generalizations and I would really question those giving adivce  who are not in an area to really know how to answer medical questions.  The one who stated he's done this 6 times i would think is probably a professional and trust me the insurance companies are on to them.

Talk to your adjuster.  Not  your agent.  Make sure you report it to your insurance company.   They will clue you in on the laws and how to handle your bills and such and is the best source of accurate information.  Rules vary from state to state but what i've written is a generalized Insurance 101 information.  The other contributor, i think it was MSDAD (??) is very accurate as well.  The others, not so much.

Remember if you get an attorney they will take 30% off the top, meanihng before any bill is ever paid!!!!  Then the doctors and THEN you!!!  you sound like a smart kid, I'm sure you can handle  this.

Good luck!!!

Answer 10

Jesse K has the best answer here.

The other persons company will take care of your car and your medical bills.  But you should get something for pain & suffering and if you don't get an attorney you may get screwed on that one part.

Answer 11

Your insurance company should be handling all of this for you.  That's what they are there for.  That's why you pay them

You will be reimbursed for all of your bills, plus the damage to your car.

Answer 12

1. Stop wearing the backpack.  Carry the books in something that you can carry in your hands, or in something on wheels that you can push without lifting (like the carry-on luggage that airline pilots and flight attendants use).

2. If the insurance is willing to pay enough without you getting a lawyer, fine.  Otherwise, get a lawyer.

Answer 13

The other persons insurance company will be in contact usually by first light the next day to try to get to you before you have time to consult with an attorney or to think about what happened too long.. They will want to get a recorded statement from you… Decline this, tell them that there is not going to be any recorded statement at this time… This way you have refused the statement but allowed them to think you may do it at a later time… They will likely not take no for an answer and try to convince you that it’s just a simple procedure they have to do and won’t take too much of your time at all…

Tell them again there will be no statement.. They will likely ask you if you’ve retained an attorney then, tell them No you have not , that you feel that this matter could be resolved without involving attorneys.

This should please them and will save you money in fees later on at settlement…

Now comes treatment for your injuries… Even though you may not feel much more than a headache or what appears to be other relatively minor ache and pain I urge you to seek out a chiropractor who will assess your condition and advise you as to what course of treatment he prescribes for your condition..

It is possible that you have need for treatment prior to the accident but the accident brought your problem to the forefront with the impact, meaning your headache and or other pains…

Start treatment with your Chiropractor and depending on your condition might need to be treated 3 days a week for a several weeks then 2 times a week for a several weeks then once a week until he releases you from immediate treatment…

This is where the negotiation for settlement comes into play… Once you have a total medical bill to work with you now have a basis for negotiation…

Even though your PIP insurance pays for your medical, you still use the total medical bill for negotiations…

You should typically end up settling for 2 to 2.5 times your total medical bills for your pain and suffering.

Don’t accept the measly amount they will try to offer you at first, tell them you were hoping to resolve this without attorneys, and that you will need a more reasonable offer, they will likely increase the offer immediately but only by 500 or 1000 bucks….decline again and they will likely tell you they have to talk it over with someone…

Tell them (example I have 3000 in medical bills) so your offer is going to have to be reasonable compensation for that amount…they know what’s protocol, they are just doing their job by trying to give as little as possible..

When you finally arrive at a mutual settlement amount, have them mail you all the paperwork…and when you receive this, take it to your bank to have your signiture notarized and send the paperwork back to them and a check for the agreed upon amount will follow in about 10 days… They usually expedite the check to you as they don’t want you to change your mind…

This of course will save you 33-40% in attorney fees, and unless you have a complicated major injury case, you’ll do just as well as an attorney… we’re led to believe we’re not capable of settling these issues ourselves…that is just nonsense…

Good Luck and I have applied these techniques about 6 times and I’ve always gotten nice settlements of  between 5-10 grand…

Good Luck…

Answer 14

Yep," lawyer up". Been there, and I know several others that have been through it.

   There is a chance that U will never completely get over the back trouble and that it will get worse as time goes on.