Insurance settlement rant!

[Steve W]

well there you go, all the more financial justification to be driving around in a Carrera GT!

Trek, sorry to say, but although you suffered $17.5k in property damage, you'd need to have lawyered up from early on, along with a doctor that works in conjunction with him to 'max' out your 'medical injuries', which in your case comes to about $50k. If your injuries were serious, this would have been documented early on, real or not, to justify a high medical bill. For example, if a victim of an accident does not seek medical attention until a month after the accident, when the he realizes the payout sucks, it raises a red flag with the insurance co. It is typical for ambulance chasing doctors to overbill the medical expecting to receive only a percentage of the claim, so you're no exception. In a way both ends need to be 'crooked' to meet a check and balance. Yourself against an insurance co, expect to get shafted. Go see a lawyer and see what you can salvage out of all this.

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by trekkor

FYI: my truck tallied up $17.5k in damages...


KT

Those were paid separate, right? Ins companies are settling the property damage separate from personal injuries to get away from allowing you to use that property damage as a multiplier in the state where I practice.

Trek...using your original post can I extrapolate that your meds were around $8000...

Out of pocket?

Should be able to get somewhere around $16-25K doing it yerself....but then again you are in Cali.

Who knows.

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by Steve W

Trek, sorry to say, but although you suffered $17.5k in property damage, you'd need to have lawyered up from early on, along with a doctor that works in conjunction with him to 'max' out your 'medical injuries', which in your case comes to about $50k.

With all due respect Steve (and I underwtand this may not be your thought process) taht is the exact attitude that makes my job difficult at times. Its not just the ambulance chasing lawyers that think this way...more often it is the "victims" who are frequently insanely unrealistic about the "value" of an injury.

We live in a modern society...not every bump, bruise ior emotional slight means Ed McMahon is gonna show up at your door with a 7 figure check.

My rant now over

[Dueller]

Trek...just out of curiosity...how do you come to the conclusion it needs to be more like $40K?

Don't take it as a slam coming on the heels of the above rant...just curiious how you came to that number as satisfactory.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by Dueller

We live in a modern society...not every bump, bruise ior emotional slight means Ed McMahon is gonna show up at your door with a 7 figure check.

You have now hurt my feelings. I'm contacting my attorney...

[Steve W]

Originally Posted by Dueller

With all due respect Steve (and I underwtand this may not be your thought process) taht is the exact attitude that makes my job difficult at times. Its not just the ambulance chasing lawyers that think this way...more often it is the "victims" who are frequently insanely unrealistic about the "value" of an injury.

We live in a modern society...not every bump, bruise ior emotional slight means Ed McMahon is gonna show up at your door with a 7 figure check.

My rant now over

Tell me about it, I'm just the messenger. I once got rear ended waiting at a red light with $7k and damage and the other party's insur co., Bristol West said $3k take it or leave it. Well, called my doctor and lawyer friends and they changed their tune immediately. In another instance, I clipped the rear bumper skin off a Camry that tried to speed around me as I was backing out of a parking space at Citibank. He took one look at me and my car and I saw $$$ rolling in his eyes. He tried adding an additional imaginary passenger in his car and tried suing my insurance company for $90k.

Trek, bear in mind, when you deal with ambulance chasing doctors and lawyers, insurance companies in California keep a blacklist, of which they won't admit to, of doctors and lawyers they deem to be questionable or 'crooked'. That happens when they don't dot all their i's and cross their t's when compiling their reports and it is caught.

[David]

My 2 cents: these insurance companies that low ball people cause many of the big settlements. I was rear ended by an 18 wheeler many years ago. My car was totaled and my injuries were mild. All I wanted was fair value for my car. The adjuster said this is what we'll give you. I said fine, at least let me get the brand new stereo out the car. He said, " no ***** way are you getting the stereo". I was dumbfounded. I said this conversation is over and my next call is to a a lawyer. All I wanted was $1500. I ended up with $5000 and the lawyer got 1/3 or whatever it was. Don't they realize you catch more flies with honey than vinager?

[Rusty Heap]

For me, personaly, FARMERS has rocked hard and kicked ass for us.

I'll let you know how we all settle this fall or early next year from the "little old lady" who hit us head on, then PUSHED us 40 foot backwards totaling my mint 911SC. I have 50% use of a wrist after several pins in it, wife has Ti Plate and six screws in her foot, neither one of us can close fingers or make a fist with our left hands, messed up for life.

I really don't care sheet about getting money. I want my health back, both of us are messed up for life. Screw the car stereo you can have it, I want a wrist again that can hold a fork or use a pencil to write with. See the photo, I didn't have knuckles that were visable for 4-5 months, it took that long for the swelling to go down. The Doctor pulled the pins out, WITH NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS, they were over 3" long and went clear over to the other side of my wrist and were used to allow the bones to seat and muscles/tendons to reheal. I've never felt such pain as when he did that.

Yeah we got an attorney a week after the wreck and they do help with Insurance companies and billing. Everything has been paid 100% since the wreck. They wait at mimimum a full year after the wreck to see what life long injuries won't heal up from surgery or physical therapy. It's not been a happy road, nope, appreciate your HEALTH everyone!

[trekkor]

Yes, I am very grateful that my health is pretty well intact.

My neck and shoulder are in pain today after a pretty good period of time of just rest and no real work due to the economy. I'm not real sure how to approach that.


KT

[trekkor]

Originally Posted by Dueller

Trek...just out of curiosity...how do you come to the conclusion it needs to be more like $40K?

Don't take it as a slam coming on the heels of the above rant...just curiious how you came to that number as satisfactory.

PM sent


KT

[trekkor]

Jim, thanks for the time.

Very helpful information.

Could you repeat those four items you spoke of? I can't recall them all, 'duty, breach of duty...etc.'


thanks again.


KT

[nynor]

removed - ns

[trekkor]

Here's the wreck thread if you didn't see it.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?t=425081&highlight=truck


KT

[trekkor]

Nynor, you are off base. Out of bounds.


KT

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by trekkor

Jim, thanks for the time.

Very helpful information.

Could you repeat those four items you spoke of? I can't recall them all, 'duty, breach of duty...etc.'


thanks again.


KT

Duty
breach of duty
proximate cause
damages

Glad to help what little I could.

Good lucK

[trekkor]

Perfect!


KT

[nynor]

Originally Posted by trekkor

Nynor, you are off base. Out of bounds.


KT

how so?

[jyl]

nynor, maybe you should do as your signature line suggests, and be "less angry, kinder and gentler". This is a thread about KT's insurance claim, there is no reason to bring religion into it. There is PARF for that.

[trekkor]

OK.

I just got off the phone with the lawyer.
Not good.

He does not feel he can help me without spending a large amount of money.

It was my honesty and willingness to cooperate that weakened my claim.
I can't feel bad about that. I'm very happy with who I am.

My feelings toward Farmers Insurance are another story.
They exist to protect their assets and minimize legitimate claimant compensation.
Their strategy is to manipulate the injured and downplay losses without feeling or sympathy.

It does disgust me greatly, but I am thankful that my conscience does not allow me to treat others as they do.

I'm not sure exactly how I will proceed at this time. I still have one and a half years before the statute of limitations expires.


KT

[gr8fl4porsche]

Call another lawyer.
One that advertises on late night TV.