So here we go again…. I just want to say; I hoped this whole thing could have just been handled quickly and in the best financial interest of both parties. Unfortunately it seems to me the Ins. Co have a system that encourages claimants to seek counsel which seems to always equate to higher financial costs for both families, the Ins Co. and ultimately every policy holder. Common sense and financial efficiency seems to be non-existent.
The circumstances:
My wife and I were sitting in traffic waiting for the light to change when I looked in the rear view mirror and noticed a pick up truck was closing in on us fast and not going to stop in time before hitting us. I muttered “Oh-$h@t” Then screeching of his tires followed by silence and then crash-bang! .
The driver was licensed and insured (thank God)! Come to find out he’s with the same insurance carrier as we are. I thought this was a good thing but now I’m starting to wonder if it is in fact making things more difficult!
Estimate speed at impact was 10-15 mph his truck (2wd P/up) was heavily damaged and subsequently totaled. Our car absorbed the damage as designed, however significant repairs to our car were required.
Lots of other details, however I don’t feel comfortable going into detail here…
Suffice to say we did sustain physical injuries and they are being treated which is why we need a good personal injury attorney. I have requested referrals from our family attorney but he is not local or specializes in personal-injury…
I spoke with the Ins adjuster (mistake I’m sure) requesting process for reimbursement for treatment to date and was given standard boiler plate: “you won’t get financial reimbursement prior to a settlement, if there is one, and looking at the damage to your car it’s hard to believe you’ve been injured.”
But what really made me made was the adjuster proceeds to share this tid-bit of her own insight on our situation: “I had a fender bender in my car, bent a fender and broke a blinker and I didn’t get injured or seek damages or claim medical treatment. You sound like a lot of folks who try to get a large settlement because they were involved in a minor accident.” Whaaaat???
Are you freaking kidding me!?
“So Mr. 911Freak, without submitting all of your doctors contact info, medical records, social security numbers, invoices etc we can’t even begin to assess the validity of your claim. You don’t have an attorney yet do you Mr. 911Freak?”
I can’t believe what I am hearing!
Well, I’m getting one now!
I couldn’t believe my ears; this person was equating her own personal experience with our accident and the legitimacy of our claim?
How ignorant!
I know I should expect this sort downplaying damages but this level of unprofessional behavior won’t go unnoticed. I made sure to point out that elements to a collision include all vehicles, not just the vehicle that absorbed the impact but also the amount of damage of vehicle initiating the impact. Have you seen the damage to his truck Miss ignorant peon adjuster?
As you can see I’m tired, frustrated and in dire need of a good attorney. I really hoped to get this over with quick and clean and inexpensively. Just reimburse us for the medical treatment, P & S, fix our car (including diminished value) and we’ll get on with our life. But no, that's to simple, they want to do it their way, involve attorneys, pry into our lives, and snoop into our past medical history.
OK, we can oblige you, but you’ll end up paying out more now because attorneys are involved.
rant over....
So, anyone know of a good personal injury attorney out here in So-Cal? Additionally any recommendations how to go about finding a good attorney? Websites?
Tactics to watch out for coming from the Ins co as this proceeds would be appreciated as well...
Thanks in advance guys
