Insurance

Seattle Car Accident Injury Commercial Myth Buster

I am sure you have seen them on television, as they are everywhere. You know, the Seattle car accident injury lawyer commercial where they show the person on television saying they got $250,000 when the insurance company only offered them $25,000 but they look perfectly fine. How are these people allowed to have commercials so obviously deceiving? It also doesn’t say how much these people actually got in their pocket after very expensive medical bills are paid and attorney fees are paid.

News Flash: these people on television were not the people that were actually injured. In very small lettering at the bottom of the screen it says that these people are actors portraying other people. This is so deceiving it is ridiculous. I don’t understand how they are able to have someone who was not injured come on television and say this law firm got them $250,000 for their car accident injuries without saying in big letters this is not the person and the person injured was actually severely injured.

People that are perfectly fine are not people that get $250,000 for car accident injury cases. What these commercials are failing to show is what injuries these people that actually got $250,000 suffered from. I can tell you right now, $250,000 case is a case where there were either broken bones, surgery, or some other permanent type injury. This is not the type of reward you get from whiplash and seeing the chiropractor for 6 to 9 months with nothing else going on.

These Seattle personal injury lawyers are deceiving the Seattle people left and right. Some people who have not been in a car accident and believe that society is too litigious will believe, how did these Seattle personal injury lawyers con the insurance company to give this person who is obviously not injured $250,000?! They will look at these commercials and believe that lawyers and people that are in car accidents are faking injuries or taking advantage of insurance companies raising their premiums.

Other people that have been injured in a Seattle car accident will think how are these people getting all this money when I am in so much more pain than these people on television who look perfectly fine?!

These Seattle personal injury lawyers need to either show the people that were actually injured in the car accident and have them say what there injuries suffered in the car accident were or they need to stop making these commercials. They are too deceiving to be on television.

If you have been injured in a car accident in the Seattle area, give me a call for a free consultation. Seattle personal injury lawyers are paid out of the settlement so everyone can afford a personal injury lawyer but you can’t afford not to have one against the insurance companies.

Andrew CherinSeattle Car Accident Injury Commercial Myth Buster
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If there are no road lines painted on the road, is the state at fault for a car accident?

With all the construction around Seattle it is not uncommon to see areas of road that are not painted in fully. I noticed one stretch of road recently going across I-90 to the mountains where the lanes do not have lines painted on the cement to divide the lanes of traffic. I-90 in the mountains is constantly getting new updates to the roads as a large lane expansion is happening. Someone must have forgot to paint the lines and they don’t have time to repaint them, which is not a good excuse because people’s lives are now at risk.

Car accidents in and around Seattle can occur when two cars believe they have the right to a lane. Merging car accidents are some of the most common forms of car accident injury cases. Who is at fault in a merging car accident case is one of the most difficult things to determine if two cars merge into the same lane at the same time.

If a lane of traffic is not painted, a car could reasonably swerve into another lane because they though it was their lane of traffic. Who is at fault in this scenario? The state and construction company are at fault for any resulting injuries for a car accident caused by road repair gaffs like forgetting to paint lane lines.

The same principal applies to any other road construction take like leaving equipment in the middle of the road, making the road have a divot, and anything else that creates a hazard for other drivers.

If you have been injured in a Seattle car accident, you need a Seattle personal injury lawyer immediately. Consultations are free and we are paid out of the settlement so there are no out of pocket expenses. Everyone can afford a lawyer but you cannot afford not to have one against insurance companies.

Andrew CherinIf there are no road lines painted on the road, is the state at fault for a car accident?
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When should you hire a Seattle personal injury lawyer?

The best time to hire a Seattle personal injury lawyer for a car accident injury case is right after a car accident.

Why hire a Seattle personal injury lawyer immediately after a car accident? The insurance company will not have an opportunity to pressure you into settling your case early for far less than you deserve. Additionally, the insurance company will not have an opportunity to put words in your mouth by unnecessarily leading questions in your recorded interview with them so they can use against you.

Moreover, you will feel no pressure to settle so that you can freely get the medical treatment that you need to get 100% and not settling for anything less. Also, a Seattle personal injury lawyer can find ways to get you the medical treatment you need whether it be by your medical insurance, your auto insurance policy, or paying back the medical professionals out of the car accident settlement. The defendant insurance company will not pay for your medical treatment until after you settle with them which can make it difficult to get medical treatment because most providers will not allow treatment without a signed lien by an attorney in this way.

Who should hire a Seattle personal lawyer for a car accident injury? EVERYONE. Studies have shown that those who hire a car accident injury lawyer to represent them against insurance agencies put double the money in their pocket than those that don’t have a lawyer representing them.

Here are some misconceptions of times when people believe you should only hire a Seattle personal injury lawyer for a car accident in Seattle

1.Going to Trial – People mistakenly believe that by hiring a Seattle personal injury lawyer that you are going to have to go to trial for your car accident injury case. While some times it is necessary to file a lawsuit for a car accident injury case, this is not the norm. Most Seattle car accident injury cases can be settled without filing a lawsuit.

2. Insurance not accepting liability – People mistakenly believe that you only need to hire a Seattle personal injury lawyer if the insurance company is not accepting liability. If the insurance company is not accepting liability for your case, this is a good time to hire a Seattle car accident injury lawyer but is not the only time.

3. They are not that hurt and only needed 3 months of chiropractic or massage – Contrary to some belief, needing any type of medical treatment for more than a few months are good car accident injury cases worth a decent amount of money to the car accident victim.

If you have been injured in a Seattle area car accident, call a Seattle personal injury lawyer today for a free consultation. We are paid out of the settlement so everyone can afford a personal injury lawyer but you can’t afford not to have one against the insurance company.

Andrew CherinWhen should you hire a Seattle personal injury lawyer?
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Why a chiropractor is a must for someone injured in a car accident?

If you are injured in a car accident in Seattle, there are few better places to seek treatment than at a chiropractor, assuming you didn’t need to go to the hospital first.

Car accident injuries have a tendency to primarily injure the spine and neck regions of a person, among other injuries. Of course you can injure other areas of your body in a car accident but almost all car accident will cause injury to the spine and neck as well. This is because seats and safety restraints in average cars do a good job of sitting you up right but do not fully restrain you into the seat during a jolting car accident. This is why you see people in Nascar who are securely restrained to the seat suffer far less injuries to themselves than the same type of impact to a normal car.

Chiropractors primarily focus on treating injuries to the spine and neck to make sure that your spine and neck are primarily in line so your body can function as optimally as possible. Chiropractors do this by a number of different ways including tiny corrective adjustments to the spine and neck region.

Chiropractors are a great first stop for anyone injured in a car accident because they can take x-rays of your spine, do an exhaustive examination of your range of motions in your neck and back, refer you out for an MRI, and refer you out to a specialist if you need a consultation with an orthopaedic surgeon.

In addition to spinal adjustments, many chiropractors create and instruct physical therapy routines for their patients. The injured person can then use on their own to strengthen key supportive muscles that may have been weakened in a car accident.

Some chiropractic facilities also provide massage therapists, acupuncturists, and physical therapists on site so that you can receive all the treatment you need in a one stop shop versus running all over town to different appointments. This creates a wellness team that can really multiply the healing hands on a person that is injured in a car accident in order to get them better and back to their daily routine as quick as possible.

From a car accident injury lawyer standpoint, I can tell you that from the clients of mine that have gone to a chiropractor versus the ones that do not, the clients who go to a chiropractor regularly get better much faster and fuller than those that do not.

A Seattle personal injury lawyer can help you navigate the insurance coverage and non coverage in order to make sure you can get the chiropractic care you need. Even if you don’t have insurance, some chiropractors are willing to wait until you receive a settlement to get paid, but will require you to have a Seattle personal injury lawyer guarantee payment out of the settlement.

Andrew CherinWhy a chiropractor is a must for someone injured in a car accident?
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Limits on Car Accident Injury Recovery?

If you are in a car accident and you are injured pretty severely, there is a chance you may not be able to recover everything that you could have recovered had the other person had enough insurance.

Here is the staggering figure: nearly 40% of drivers on the road are driving with the bare minimum amount of insurance coverage or no insurance at all. The minimum required liability insurance in Washington State is $25,000/$50,000. This means that the insurance only has coverage for up to $25,000 for an individual and $50,000 maximum payout in a car accident with multiple victims.

If you do not have UIM insurance (underinsured insurance coverage), you are stuck with trying to make $25,000 cover your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. UIM insurance coverage steps in and fills the gap, up to your policy limits, that you did not recover from the defendant who caused the Seattle car accident that you were injured in. UIM coverage can be $50,000, $100,000, and up to $1,000,000. It is very cheap to add to your coverage and is highly advisable to add to your coverage.

Even more so, your recovery is lessened because you have to pay back your medical bills. Yes, you must pay back your medical bills if you are injured in a car accident and this will come out of the $25,000 and is not separate from this recovery amount. You have to pay back your medical bills even if your medical insurance or PIP paid for your medical bills – they are entitled to reimbursement for the amount that they have paid. This means that you will not have as much money in your pocket from the $25,000 which could leave you with very little if anything depending on how much you are injured.

It gets tricky when there are multiple people injured in a car accident and the at fault vehicle only has minimum insurance coverage. In these situations, there may be only $50,000 available between 5 plaintiffs if one car is to blame but they caused two other cars to crash causing injury to two and three people. However, there may be more insurance coverage available if the plaintiffs have their own UIM insurance, which may come into play even if the plaintiff was not the driver of the car.

If there is no other insurance coverage available, the plaintiffs may have to fight for the money that is available. In these situations, you must act quickly to make sure that you get the money that you are entitled to or you may be stuck with nothing. You may have to contact the insurance company or file a lawsuit very quickly.

Andrew CherinLimits on Car Accident Injury Recovery?
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Uber or Lyft Car Accident: Distracted Driving and Coverage

If you have ever been in an Uber or Lyft, you know that the Uber or Lyft driver relies heavily on navigational equipment in their car to get you from point A and point B. This reliance on the navigational equipment to get you to a point the driver has probably never been before can create a hazard to other drivers as the driver constantly looks at their navigation app and could cause a Seattle car accident.

There is a high degree of attention that must be paid to the road when navigating Seattle streets due to the many one way streets, heavy traffic, hills, and fast drivers. If an Uber or Lyft driver is looking at their navigation device while driving in an unknown area with heavy traffic, they may get into a car accident because of their distracted driving that may cause injury to their passenger or other cars around them.

If you are in a car accident and are injured by the result of the negligence of an Uber or Lyft driver in Seattle who was distracted, there are many confusing insurance scenarios on who is responsible for the car accident. Uber and Lyft have certain legal requirements and varying insurance coverage depending on whether they are picking up a passenger, looking for a passenger, or off work. The insurance coverage required for each situation varies largely with each scenario.

If an Uber or Lyft driver has a passenger and is driving them to a destination, Seattle and Washington law requires Uber and Lyft to cover any liability charged to their driver as a result of their negligence that causes a car accident injury to their passengers or people in other cars. This is the time where Uber and Lyft will have their most insurance coverage for you. They are required to have $1,000,000 in insurance coverage.

However, if you are injured by an Uber driver who is searching for a passenger, the insurance coverage available to you may be far less. This insurance coverage may not be enough to cover any injury requiring a hospital visit and extensive physical therapy or chiropractic treatment, let alone a surgery.

Additionally, if you are injured by an Uber driver who is not actively searching for a passenger, their own insurance will cover your injuries. These Uber or Lyft drivers may only have the minimum insurance policy of $25,000 required for liability in Seattle and Washington State. If you are injured in an accident with minimum coverage, this amount may be exhausted with a hospital visit and extensive physical therapy of chiropractic treatment.

Moreover, if an Uber or Lyft driver does not have their ridesharing app on showing that they have a passenger or are looking for a passenger when the car accident happens, Uber and Lyft may claim no responsibility for the car accident and say that the driver must use their own insurance and they claim no responsibility for their driver even if their driver did in fact have a passenger or was actively searching for one. This comes into play even more so if there are no witnesses to prove otherwise.

For these reasons, it is a good idea to get a Seattle personal injury lawyer immediately following a car accident injury with an Uber or Lyft driver. Call today for a free consultation. Seattle personal injury lawyers are paid out of the settlement so their is never any out of pocket costs to you. This way everyone can afford a Seattle personal injury lawyer but you cannot afford not to have one.

Andrew CherinUber or Lyft Car Accident: Distracted Driving and Coverage
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What do I tell the insurance company after a car accident?

After our clients have been injured in a Seattle car accident, two of the first questions they ask us are: “What should I say to the insurance company both mine and the defendant’s? What should I not say to the insurance company?”

The most important thing to keep in mind when speaking with an insurance company is to be very cautious and guarded, even if it is your own insurance company, because their mission is to find out whatever information benefits them.

You may think that they have your best interests at heart, but they are a business and thus they want to save money by paying as little as possible to you for your car accident injuries. This means that they will either try to minimize your claim or deny it altogether, depending on the information they obtain from you. This is why it is best if you say as little as possible. Anything you say can be twisted to be used against you and in favor of the other party.

ONLY GIVE OBJECTIVE INFORMATION WHEN REQUESTED

 

When dealing with the other driver’s insurance company, it is best if you only give objective information that is requested, such as the date of the Seattle car accident, your insurance policy information, and your contact information, and that you would like to talk to your personal injury lawyer if more information is requested. You only want to give them information when they request it and nothing more.

Most people will down play their injuries initially because they don’t want to be looked at as weak or meager. Additionally, people don’t want to say they are injured and how bad because they are uncomfortable talking about their pain and vulnerability after a car accident. For this reason, many men do not file a personal injury case against the insurance company and will rather tough out injuries and not seek treatment unless they need surgery.

In terms of your own insurance company, you have an obligation under your insurance contract to speak with them, but you still want to be very cautious about anything you sign or about giving a recorded statement. In your recorded statement it is ok to consult with your attorney before talking. Additionally, you can say that you do not know the extent of your injuries and you are currently seeking medical treatment for the injuries you suffered in the car accident.

If you have been injured in a Seattle car accident, you should think about talking to a Seattle personal injury lawyer first to determine your rights and what you are entitled to. You could be entitled to $10,000 or more for your car accident injury case. Best of all, consultations are free and Seattle personal injury lawyers are only paid out of the settlement and do not charge anything if we cannot recover anything for you. Anyone can afford a personal injury lawyer but you can’t afford not to have one against the insurance company.

 

 

Andrew CherinWhat do I tell the insurance company after a car accident?
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Geico Car Accident Injury Cases

Many people have asked me what do I think of certain insurance companies compared to others in car accident injury cases in Seattle. I have experience with most insurance companies both from a 1st party (your own insurance company) and 3rd party (the defendant’s insurance company) view points. I want to break down my thoughts on each insurance company and how they handle these cases from both sides view points.

Every insurance company is in the business of making money first and foremost. While the insurance adjuster on the other line may sound very nice and genuine, they do not have your best interests in their forethought. They are first and foremost trying to have you settle your case for as little money as possible as soon as possible. This is why they want to have you give them statements, give them authorization to all your medical records ever, and tell you they have the money and this is how much your case is worth with a deadline to take it or the money goes away.

Geico is no different from these other insurance companies. They spend billions of dollars (it seems) on car insurance commercials every year. From the Geico Gecko, to the Caveman, to the many other crazy commercials, they spend a ton of money on advertising. They spend a ton of money on advertising to sign up as many people as possible. To offset these costs, they want to pay out as little as possible on your car accident injury case and their insurance adjusters reflect this mindset.

Geico as a 1st party insurance company in regards to PIP (personal injury protection) and paying you for your medical records are ok. They will for the most part pay most if not all of your medical bills without making reductions. They will not often threaten IME (independent medical examinations) to see if their doctor believes you need further treatment regardless of what your doctors are saying. An IME is a way for them to stop paying for your medical bills, or at least that is what they want to make you think.

However, if you have Geico insurance and the person that caused your car accident does not have insurance and you have UIM (uninsured motorist insurance), Geico is very tough to settle cases with. They will basically treat you as if they represent the defendant and will make all excuses or arguments that the defendant had. They will not be fair to you. They will diminish your injuries and force you to settle for how much they want to pay you, not much. They will not treat you as if you are their insured and give you everything you want. They are a business and want to make money and not give money away.

Geico as a 3rd party insurance company is notoriously stingy with their offers to settle cases. There is no real surprise here as most insurance companies will do this as well. However, Geico often will fight tooth and nails to make sure they diminish your story and your injuries. They are trained assassins when it comes to negotiating your settlement and will push most attorneys to file a lawsuit against them in order to get more money. If you try to settle your case with them without a Seattle personal injury lawyer representing you, good luck getting much money in your pocket and your medical bills paid.

If you have been injured in a car accident, you should contact a Seattle personal injury lawyer today for a free consultation. We are paid out of the settlement and are only paid if you recover a settlement. No settlement, no fee.

Andrew CherinGeico Car Accident Injury Cases
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Did you know insurance adjusters go to claims school?

If you are injured in a car accident in Seattle and believe that the person representing the insurance company on the other line has your best interest and is just another person just like you, you are wrong. Insurance adjusters are professional negotiators and know how to get you to settle for as little as possible. Insurance adjusters often go to claims schools in order to become an insurance adjuster. At this school they are taught how to answer calls, how to evaluate claims, and most importantly how to make you settle for as little money as possible.

If you have been injured in a car accident, they will want to take your statement at the outset of your case and put words into your mouth on a recorded line. This is one of the tricks they play to show that either you caused the car accident in some way or another or you were not has hurt as you are claiming later.

What should you do then? You should tell them you are not comfortable making a statement at this time and you should ask a Seattle personal injury lawyer about your case. Rarely will a Seattle personal injury lawyer tell you it is a good idea to give a statement to the insurance company.

Insurance adjusters will try to offer you money soon after the car accident to compensate you for your injuries. They will try to make you realize that they have a check book and can write you a check right now to compensate you for your case. They will belittle your injuries and tell them your injuries are not worth much so you should take this offer now or it will go away.

When should you ever try to settle your case following a car accident? If you are trying to settle your case without a Seattle personal injury lawyer, you should wait until your injuries have healed and you are back to 100%. That probably means you need to go to a physical therapist, chiropractor, massage therapist, etc., in order to get better.

How do you pay for your treatment that you need if you are waiting for your settlement to pay for treatment? If you do not have your own car insurance policy called personal injury protection or PIP and you don’t have medical insurance, most physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, etc., will wait to be compensated out of the settlement. However, most of the time they will require you to have an attorney representing you in order for them to give you treatment up front for free because they want to make sure they are paid out of the settlement.

How much is your case worth? This is a tough question that is dependent and unique to each individual case. However, you are entitled to compensation for medical bills whether you paid for them out of pocket or your insurance company paid for them, lost wages even if you used vacation or sick leave and were still paid, and pain and suffering. Pain and suffering is dependent on how long you sought medical treatment, how severe your injuries from the car accident were, and if you have permanent injuries, among other things.

If you have been in a car accident, don’t get schooled by these trained professional negotiators. Even the field and hire your own professional negotiator/ Seattle personal injury lawyer today. Consultations are free and we are paid out of the settlement so no up front costs. Personal injury lawyers are very affordable because we are paid out of the settlement and there are no out of pocket costs. Everyone can afford a personal injury lawyer but you can’t afford to not have one.

 

Andrew CherinDid you know insurance adjusters go to claims school?
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Signup is easy and hassle free

Hiring a Seattle personal injury lawyer for your car accident injury case could not be any easier. You only need to meet me once and then focus on healing while I work on negotiating with the insurance company. The only other time you usually will need to come in is to pick up your settlement check.

What to expect when you meet a personal injury lawyer and questions that you have should be answered in my videos but you can always ask for more information regarding your Seattle car accident injury case.

Questions you may have include how much does a personal injury lawyer for your car accident injury case cost? We do not charge hourly fees only contingency fees meaning we are not paid unless we receive monetary compensation for you in your settlement. Most personal injury lawyers charge between 33.333% of the case and 40% but we only charge 33.3333%.

Will your case have to go to trial? Most cases settle without filing a lawsuit and usually settle within 2-3 months of you completing your medical treatment and being released from care. This is much different from the horror stories that most people hear about personal injury cases taking years to settle and receive anything.

Additionally, if you do not have a way to pay for medical treatment right now, we can find you a chiropractor or physical therapist to treat you without up front payments – a huge benefit. If you have insurance to pay for the treatment you need, we will find it.

Consultations are free and I am paid out of the settlement so what are you waiting for!? Contact us today for your Seattle car accident injury case at 206-850-6716

Andrew CherinSignup is easy and hassle free
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