Category: Blog

We all get that warm and fuzzy feeling when car insurance commercials come on television.

A smooth-talking representative assures us that we’re like family (or at least like neighbors) and that they’ll take good care of us.

It’s all good… as long as you’re not trying to make a claim that requires them to compensate you for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Insurance Companies: You’re Not in Good Hands

Soon after your car accident, your phone is going to start ringing.

It’s probably going to be an insurance company – and if it’s your insurance company (and as long as the guilty party wasn’t insured by the same company), it’s probably okay to talk to them.

If it’s the other party’s insurance company, though, let it go to voicemail.

There is no good reason for you to talk to the other party’s insurance company; they’re only interested in saving money, and they’ll do whatever it takes to avoid compensating you for your injuries.

Three Reasons Not to Talk to Insurance Adjusters

After you’ve been in an accident, the last thing you want to do is deal with a stranger trying to wrangle information from you. There are three very good reasons you should never talk to an insurance adjuster:

1. Insurance Adjusters Are Trained to Take Advantage of You

A good insurance adjuster knows how to get you to say something that will preclude their company from paying you a dime.

You’ll be honest about your accident, but the way the questions are worded are designed to get you to slip up – and they’re most likely recording your call so that they can use your own statements against you later.

2. Insurance Adjusters May Want to Invade Your Privacy

It’s pretty common for insurance adjusters to ask you to sign a medical release form so that they can learn about the severity of your injuries.

Do not consent, under any circumstances.

What many insurance adjusters will do is gain access to your entire medical history; once they have it, they’ll comb through every injury you’ve ever had and try to prove that you were already prone to the type of injury you sustained in the accident so that they can avoid paying you.

3. They Don’t Have Your Best Interest at Heart

Insurance adjusters are paid to protect the company they work for, not to ensure that you receive fair compensation.

The less money the insurance company has to pay out for personal injury claims, the higher their bottom line will be – and although the person on the other end of the line seems friendly and compassionate, that’s how they’re trained to be.

Keep Your Lawyer in the Loop

When the other party’s insurance company calls you, make note of the number and save the message; pass it along to your attorney the next time you meet.

It’s almost always best to leave the insurance details to your car accident lawyer, because he has the necessary experience and knows how to handle the questions they have without damaging your case.

When you’re in a car accident, your seat belt usually holds your body still; your head is another story.

The average human head weighs between 7 and 11 pounds (about 3.5 pounds of that is your brain), and it sits on top of the thinnest part of your ordinarily sturdy spine.

Neck injuries are some of the most commonly reported injuries after car accidents, but how much do you really know about them?

The Most Commonly Suffered Neck Injuries During a Car Crash

Even minor car accidents can result in neck injuries.

Some injuries can take days—even weeks—to show up, which poses a serious problem for people who walked away from a crash thinking they were okay.

It’s important that you’re evaluated by a medical professional right after your accident; if you start to experience symptoms of any neck injury in the days and weeks ahead, please go back to the doctor immediately.

The five most common neck injuries after a crash are:

1. Whiplash. Whiplash is a result of your head being forced back, your neck muscles responding milliseconds later and trying to right your head, and the momentum of your body forcing your head forward.
   It can result in severe pain and stiffness, ringing in the ears that won’t go away, headaches and back pain that can extend down into your arms.
2. Neck strain. Neck strain occurs when the muscles in your neck are overextended or torn. A neck strain injury is just like pulling a muscle in another part of your body.
3. Neck sprain. The muscles in your neck are connected to your bones by ligaments; when those ligaments stretch too far or tear, you’re suffering from a neck sprain.
4. Pinched nerves. Fragments of ruptured discs or bones can poke into the delicate nerves that run along your spine and out into your body; that’s what medical professionals frequently call a “pinched nerve.”
5. Herniated discs. During an accident, the pressure on your spinal discs can prove too much. When those discs are compressed too far, the soft substance inside can cause them to burst, causing pain, weakness and numbness.

If you’ve suffered a neck injury in a car accident, don’t wait to see a doctor.

Research has shown that the sooner your injury is treated, the better your prognosis will be.

Once you’ve seen a physician, talk to your attorney; he’ll probably ask to see your medical records and start to build a strategy so that the person responsible is held accountable.

Every car accident is traumatic, but imagine finding out that the person who hit you doesn’t have any car insurance. As shocking as it sounds, as many as 20 percent of Brooklyn drivers have no insurance or are underinsured.

What are you supposed to do if you’re hit by an uninsured or underinsured motorist on a Brooklyn roadway?

Uninsured vs. Underinsured: What’s the Difference?

It’s illegal in the state of New York to drive without car insurance.

However, state law allows some drivers to have less insurance coverage than other drivers.

Generally, people whose vehicles are completely paid for aren’t required to have “full-coverage” insurance.

• Uninsured motorists have no insurance coverage. New York requires all drivers to have at least basic insurance coverage.
• Underinsured motorists don’t have enough insurance. In many cases, the amount of coverage is so low that it barely makes a dent in the victim’s medical costs.

Across the country, about 13 percent of drivers are uninsured, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

Although New York’s rates are slightly lower than the nationwide average, the chance of being hit by a Brooklynite who doesn’t have adequate insurance coverage still remains.

Filing a Lawsuit when the Person Who Hit You Has No Insurance

If you were hit by someone with no auto insurance, it’s natural to wonder how you’re going to pay your medical bills.

Your own insurance may end up compensating you, but these types of cases can be tricky.

It’s usually best to work with a Brooklyn accident lawyer to help sort out the details.

Let your attorney deal with your insurance company after the accident.

(You should never talk to the other driver’s insurance company without discussing it with your lawyer first; he may advise you to leave it up to him.)

While an insurance company will be most interested in saving money, your lawyer will have your best interest in mind.

Fatalities are more than twice as likely in accidents that involve large, commercial trucks.

That’s exactly why the federal government has established strict guidelines that trucking companies must follow to protect motorists.

Unfortunately, even after a series of safety violations, some of these trucking companies are able to continue conducting business as usual – and it’s tough to stop them.

They get away with it by acting as chameleon trucking companies, and they’re among the biggest threats that we face on the roads in Brooklyn and on Staten Island.

Chameleon Trucking Companies Are Getting Away with Murder

A chameleon trucking company is typically one that has a long line of safety violations.

By shutting down and immediately reopening under a different name, they’re able to avoid penalties and keep operating.

Like chameleons, these companies change their outward appearances in order to survive.

Their safety violations range from allowing impaired drivers to operate vehicles to failure to maintain safe equipment.

Many of these companies cause accidents that hurt innocent people.

Crackdowns on Chameleon Transport Companies

The Government Accountability Office, or GAO, attempts to track these chameleon trucking companies, which should be shut down completely.

Their latest report indicates that more than 1,100 new trucking companies were really chameleon carriers; nearly 20 percent of those companies had trucks involved in serious accidents that typically resulted in fatalities.

What to Do if You’re Involved in a Semi-Truck Accident

Your first priority after an accident involving a semi-truck is to get well.

Please, seek medical attention right away.

Even if you think you’re not hurt, remember that many injuries don’t show up immediately.

Seeing a doctor can rule out life-threatening internal injuries and help you get on the path to recovery.

If you’ve been hurt in a semi-truck accident, it’s important that you speak out.

An attorney can help you get the compensation you’re entitled to receive, whether it’s for your medical bills and lost wages or it’s to help compensate you for the pain you and your family have endured, but there’s more to it than that.

You being brave enough to take a stand against a possible chameleon trucking company can help save other families from suffering like you have.