Ghoulies and ghosties aren’t the only ones scaring up your neighborhood this Halloween season. In fact, some of the spookiest people you meet might actually be on the road.
Why? If you’re injured in a motor vehicle collision without adequate insurance, you could face a long, scary road of recovery, unplanned-for bills and other headaches. Taking the right steps can keep the nightmares away.
“If you get into a car accident, do things in this order: Call the police, go to a doctor to see if you’re injured and then go talk to a lawyer,” says Christian Pearson, Attorney at Iddins Law Group. If you can’t meet with your primary doctor right away, and especially if it’s a bad accident, seek immediate care. “The continuity of records and being able to access your records after an accident is easier through the ER.”
The devil can be in the details – at Halloween and year-round:
● Uninsured (or underinsured) motorist protection – “With uninsured motorist protection (UIM), if you get hit by someone who does not have enough insurance to cover your injuries, your insurance company will step in and pretend to be that driver’s insurance and negotiate a settlement,” Pearson says. “Sadly, I have had to turn down cases where people did not have the UIM.”
● Extended personal injury protection – “When someone is injured in a car accident that’s caused by someone else, personal injury protection or ‘PIP’ will make sure that your costs are covered right away and pays the providers so you can focus on healing and treating your injuries,” Pearson says. “Always choose the $35,000 option instead of the $10,000 for your extended personal injury protection. It can often cover you for wage loss up to $700 a week. It may not sound like much, but can be a lot if you are struggling.”
● Liability insurance – Aside from being required by law and offering an effective way to protect your assets in case you are at fault in a collision, your liability insurance limits determine how much UIM you can put on your policy.
● Health insurance – Having health insurance can make recovery post-crash a lot more achievable, and put more in your pocket by the end of your claim. “We can usually negotiate with Apple Care, United Healthcare, Medicaid and Molina for coverage on health costs. And employer health plans are federally protected, so we can help you with costs like x-rays, brain or tissue damage testing and MRIs. It all stacks up,” Pearson explains.
Don’t let one big mistake haunt you forever!
“The worst-case scenario is if both people have waived their personal injury protection and uninsured motorist protection just because they want a lower monthly bill,” says Pearson. “Sadly, they won’t get much and this can haunt them forever.”
Why Iddins?
Iddins Law Group works on contingency, which means that they don’t receive payment unless the client does. “With us, you’ll have a better case and 30-plus years of combined experience behind you,” Pearson says. “My job is to negotiate with the PIP, and maximize what they get back from both insurance companies in a car accident, so it’s a lot less scary for you in the long run!”
To learn more, visit iddinslaw.com or cal 253-854-1244, You can also stay up to date on Facebook.
