Monthly Archives: May 2017

Any car, truck or motorcycle accident (even a minor one) is a stressful experience. But once you’ve made sure that no one has been injured and shared some basic information with the other driver, you should do your best to document the accident scene by taking photos either with a camera or even a cell phone. Why Take Photos? Photos will preserve evidence of the crash before anyone has moved the vehicles or cleared the debris (broken glass, broken car parts, etc.)  This can help the insurance companies (yours and the other driver’s) determine what happened and who was at fault. If you’ve been injured in the crash, the photos will enable your car accident attorney to reconstruct the facts of the accident in any legal claim and refresh your memory when you need to give testimony about the incident in a deposition, court hearing or trial. Documenting the Scene First, make sure that the date/time tagging function is enabled on your camera. Then, start taking the photos by concentrating on the following: Your vehicle and its damage The other vehicles involved and their damage Vehicle parts and other debris on the ground Skid marks The intersection, parking lot or other location of the accident Traffic lights and signs at the scene Any damage sustained by stationary objects at the scene – guardrails, signs, trees, etc. Any visible injuries sustained by you or other drivers/passengers (but obviously only to the extent they consent to your taking such photos) Weather conditions […]

If you’ve been involved in a car, truck or motorcycle accident, the insurance policies carried by you and the other driver are two potential sources of compensation for your injuries and vehicle damage. But the insurance companies have financial incentives not to make the claims process easy or fast. Why You Need Insurance Company Cooperation After an accident, you’ll want assistance and cooperation from the insurance companies right away. You may have injuries that require immediate treatment (which means you need money to pay medical bills). You may be losing wages because injuries prevent you from working (which means you need money to pay your normal household expenses). You need to get your car or motorcycle fixed (which means you need help paying mechanics and a body shop). Why Insurance Companies Don’t Want to Cooperate But the insurance adjusters don’t work for you – they work for the insurance companies. And their goal isn’t to quickly provide you with the maximum amount of compensation. The adjuster’s job is to save his insurance company money by: Minimizing the amounts paid to you; and Delaying those payments as long as he can. The easiest way for an insurance company to achieve these two goals is by giving you the runaround. What Does Insurance Company Runaround Look Like? Insurance company runaround can take many forms but the classic signs include: Not answering or returning your phone calls Taking a long time to provide you with basic information or required forms Repeatedly asking for […]