Car accidents are the most often litigated personal injury case that walks through my door.
The first thing that needs to be dealt with, after your initial medical treatment, is insurance coverage. Whose insurance will be paying for the medical bills that you have just accumulated from the hospital or primary care physician?
The answer always starts with the insurance that was on the car that you were in at the time of your accident.
If there was no insurance coverage on that car, then you must check to see what coverage was on any vehicle in your own household. P.I.P. (Personal Injury Protection) is that part of your mandatory insurance that pays for medical bills received in an accident.
P.I.P Insurance
P.I.P. usually has a limit of $8,000. This pays for both medical bills and a percentage of lost wages up to $8,000.
There is a limit on medical bill payment from P.I.P. if you have health insurance.
P.I.P. is only required to pay $2,000 if you have health insurance. The rest must be paid by your health carrier.
Upon settlement or judgment, P.I.P. does not have to be reimbursed, but health insurance will want reimbursement from you if you settle your case or win at trial.
The next insurance issue is determining how much money there is in the bodily injury portion of the at-fault vehicle. Is there enough to cover your claim? If not, does your own vehicle have an “underinsured” or “uninsured” component?
Once you are done treating, I determine the value of your case and begin negotiating the claim with the insurance company. If you do not want to accept their best offer, it is time for trial.
Here is where my vast trial experience works toward squeezing as much money as possible in negotiations. Why? Because I really enjoy trying cases, especially against unfair insurance companies.
I believe that my team of paralegals and expert witnesses is second to none and gives you the best chance of receiving a significant verdict at trial.