Critical Steps After An Accident

Protect Yourself First

 

An accident happens in an instant, but it can have consequences that last a lifetime. In one moment you are going about the normal parts of your life and in the next moment, you or a loved one is trading insurance information, being examined by paramedics or rushed to the nearest hospital.

A day that began carrying the kids to school, communing to work, picking up the dry cleaning, running errands...it can all change in an instant. Then, in a panic and sometimes shock, what you do next is sometimes not very well thought out.

There is simply no way to plan for an accident, however there are several things that you can do following a car wreck for yourself or your loved ones if you are able.

Your first priority is to seek medical attention for the treatment of your injuries and having a medical record of your injury and treatment is important.

Next, try and get photos of any evidence, your automobile,  and your injuries. Then, make sure you keep track of all medical costs and expenses related to the accident and your injuries. Make sure to request a copy of any accident or police report and avoid signing any releases. If your insurance company is trying to make a deal with you, make sure that you get those in writing.

Insurance companies often times want to rush accident victims into insignificant settlements and with those come release forms. Unfortunately, you may not know the extent of a long-term or permanent injury for several weeks or months. On the other hand, if you haven't received an offer from the insurance company within 6 months, you may need to seek legal representation to protect your rights.

Insurance companies know that the average layperson has no real objective way to evaluate the actual monetary value of a legal claim resulting from a car crash. The adjuster who calls you may seem amicable and genuinely helpful, but the goal of the conversation is to get you to settle the claim quickly for far less than its actual value. Especially in cases where the liability of the insurance company's insured.

Linton & Associates specializes in personal injury claims and we know how to handle the mistreatment of unfair compensation from insurance companies following car wrecks. Call us and expect a free consultation and review of your case.

My name is Christopher S. Linton, Attorney at Linton and Associates Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. We specialize in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises and Product Liability, Auto Accidents and Infant Injury and Death.

Keywords:  What to do after an automobile accident, Personal Injury, Mistreatment of Insurance Companies.

Getting What You Deserve For Your Tornado Damage Claim

With the massive devastation from the storms throughout Alabama in April, obviously insurance companies owe a lot of money to their policy holders that suffered property damage. As always, these insurance companies are going to try every trick in the book to avoid their responsibilities to their policy holders and reduce the amount of money they have to pay on these claims. Using a combination of low ball offers and litigation, they employ the three D's. Deny, Delay and Defend.

Extremely motivated to collect premiums, but less eager to pay for covered losses.

  

Did you know that the insurance industry takes over $1 trillion annually in insurance premiums? The insurance industry also, has more than $3.8 trillion in assets, according to the Insurance Information Institute. One would think that with all of this money, why on earth would the insurance industry have to deny benefits to clients that were entitled to them.  There is only one thing that comes to mind and that is corporate greed.

If you are a residential or commercial property owner and have suffered property damage from the recent series of tornados or previous wind, storm, hail or fire, you should get the insurance payment you deserve and are entitled to under your policy. You need to call an attorney familiar with insurance law.

Insurance is a form of investment and it is your right as a policyholder to challenge the recovery you previously received. The insurance company's opinion of what an insured is owed from a claim is often lower than what the insured is actually entitled to under the policy.

Insurance companies can make more money by paying out less and any insurance company that takes advantage of people who are suffering from such devastation is wrong and it is disgusting.

If you feel that you might not have received the payment you deserve from your insurance claim, it is not too late. At Linton & Associates we work with a dedicated legal team to handle all aspects of your property claims and disputes through a network of experts that represent you, your family and your property. You deserve access to the courts and if we do not recover, you do not pay.

Contact us today for a free consultation and start the process of getting the payment you deserve.

My name is Christopher S. Linton, Attorney at Linton and Associates Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. We specialize in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises and Product Liability, Auto Accidents and Infant Injury and Death.

$14.5 Million Verdict Against State Farm

A jury in Hamilton County, Ohio, has returned a $14.5 million verdict in favor of an individual and a restoration company that he owned. 

This is another amazing example of the underhanded tactics that insurance companies are willing to go use in order to avoid paying the claims that they owe.

I applaud the jury for sending State Farm the message that their underhanded conduct is not going to be tolerated.

My Health Insurance Wants Money From My Settlement; What Is Subrogation?

Many times we get contacted by people that have dealt with insurance claims themselves instead of hiring a lawyer and they are shocked to find out that they are not getting the amount of money that they settled with the liability insurance company for.

People are often surprised to learn that when their health insurance paid medical bills related to an accident that they are going to recover from a car insurance company for, that their health insurance claims a subrogation interest. What is subrogation, is a common question.

Subrogation is the right of one who has paid an obligation, which another should have paid, to be indemnified by the other. Simply stated, it is the right of a health insurance provider to be paid back any bills paid on your behalf out of any settlement that is received from a liability insurance carrier for the accident that the bills were paid for. Most health insurance providers have the right of subrogation clearly stated in their contract that you sign, and failure to pay them back could put you in jeopardy of losing your health insurance coverage.

What is Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage?

Although the State of Alabama requires that every registered vehicle carry a minimum of $25,000 in liability coverage, it is a sad fact that many people do not carry adequate insurance coverage. So, what happens if you are injured by an at fault driver that does not carry liability insurance? At Linton & Associates, we have the answer for you.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage is coverage that you have through your insurance policy to protect you when you are injured by a party that does not have insurance in effect to compensate you for your damages. This coverage can also be used when your damages are higher than the amount of coverage available by the at fault party's policy. For example, if your damages are $100,000 and the at fault party has a policy limit of $50,000 you would be entitled to make an underinsured motorist claim with your insurance company.

Alabama law requires that every time a policy is issued, it must provide Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage unless each named insured expressly rejects the uninsured motorist coverage. As a result, you have uninsured motorist coverage on your policy unless you have rejected it in writing to the insurance company.

Many people express a concern about filing an uninsured motorist claim because of fear that their insurance premiums will increase as a result of the claim. However, that is not the case. Uninsured motorist coverage is contractual and filing a claim against that policy does not make your premiums increase. This coverage is designed to step into the shoes of the at-fault party. Think of it as if you just provided coverage for the at-fault party. While we might say it is not our responsibility to provide coverage for people who do not follow the law, we must consider it as us being responsible and ensuring ourselves and loved ones are adequately covered.

If you or a loved on have been injured by an at-fault party that does not carry adequate coverage to justly compensate you for your injuries, contact Linton & Associates and we will conduct a free evaluation to discover all options available to you. http://www.linton-associates.com/

My name is Christopher S. Linton, Attorney at Linton and Associates Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. We specialize in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises and Product Liability, Auto Accidents and Infant Injury and Death.

Many of us put our faith in insurance companies and carry the policies we believe will provide adequate compensation should the need to make a claim arise. However, many times the insurance companies will take advantage of policy holders by either denying claims, not providing services that the policy provides for, or paying less than what the claim is actually worth.

Many insurance companies are publicly traded companies and as a result, their purpose is to maximize profits for their investors rather than putting policy holders’ interest first. Many of these companies have implemented detailed plans to increase profits by limiting or denying claims that would otherwise by payable by the company. These companies have adopted the slogan “delay, deny, defend” as their motto. If they take this course of action, it allows them to have use of their money longer, thus increasing their profits for their shareholders. All of this is done to the detriment of policy holders.

If you or someone close to you has been wronged by an insurance company, Linton & Associates can help. We work closely with industry experts to build a solid case before making a claim and we are capable of handling your insurance case from the beginning through trial, if necessary. We are committed to making insurance companies pay what they promised they would pay when they accepted your premiums.

My name is Christopher S. Linton, Attorney at Linton and Associates Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. We specialize in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises and Product Liability, Auto Accidents and Infant Injury and Death.