I need advice for my auto insurance claim! Please help!!?
I was in a car accident 4 days ago. My Mother was the passenger in my car (I was driving). I was on the off ramp getting off the freeway. All cars behind me were stopped. I was stopped waiting to make a right turn. An emergency vehicle was coming in my direction from my left. Therefore, I was waiting for the emergency vehicle to pass. The person behind me (large dodge ram truck I am in an ’08 2 door Infiniti coupe) thought I went so he ‘gunned it’ to get in front of the emergency vehicle. Unfortunately, we had not gone so he pushed my vehicle out in front of the emergency vehicle. Luckily, I was able to turn my car out of the way. I did not hit anyone (no one was in front of me). My Mother and I were both put into a gurney and taken to a local hospital in an ambulance. We both had our seat belts on and suffered whiplash. We were released 5-6 hours later after x-rays, etc. We were both prescribed medicine. My Mother has had 3 brain tumors and has trouble with her speech etc. and any violent startling trauma can get her shaken up pretty badly and confused. I know she hit her head but, she is in pain but not nearly as much as I am. With my Mother’s condition I don’t know if this kind of thing can have negative effects later on. I know that my neck and back is pretty messed up. It hurts to stand for after 15 minutes or so. My car is pretty messed up and had to be towed. I plan on taking it back to the Infiniti shop to get all new parts. My car has all the upgrades in it so I want it to be taken care of. Am I allowed to take it to the Infiniti dealership or will Geico (the other persons insurance) not allow that, or does it not matter? The police gave the guy that hit us a citation. I have USAA and the other person has Geico. I just want to know exactly what to do in this situation. Since I’m out a car (I work for myself) I have been out (already) a decent amount of money for not being able to meet up with my clients. I spoke to my insurance today and they said that all my medical is covered since I had that already in my plan (without it raising my premium) and that I should get a settlement ON TOP of paying for damages to my car and getting me a rental, etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I don’t want to get taken for a ride. I’ve heard the horror stories of dealing with insurance companies. Any advice on what I should make a point of saying to the other insurance company, etc. Thanks in advance….
This happened in Arizona. I was told that I should contact an attorney but, I don’t want to have to pay the attorney fees/split the settlement if I don’t need to. Please advice…
4 Responses
regerugged
05 Feb 2010
Jane
05 Feb 2010
You should be able to take your car to any mechanic you choose. Most insurance companies allow that. Sorry to hear of that terrible accident, I do hope that you both will recover fully. Keep in contact with your insurance company, they are your best source for information.
im lovin’
05 Feb 2010
Okay……… I read your story… Luckily, I deal with these kinds of things everyday at my job..
Okay, so what state are you in?
You need to look into getting an accident/injury attorney, and they will help with most of this stuff, and especially if you and your mother were hurt..
I work for a company named A.I.C.A. in Georgia, and we are chiropractors located all throughout the metro Atlanta area.
what we do is see you for your injuries, and we find lawyers whom are sufficient in getting you a great settlement for you injuries and/or loss of wages. We also provide transportation to and from your doctor appointment (chiro-treatment).
If you haven’t already obtained a copy of the police report, then you need to do so.. for your sake
If you are having are hard time getting one, then look in your local pages for accident/injury attorneys, and they will do all the work for you.
If you haven’t already filed a claim with Gieco, then you really need to do so, and that will assure your car damages being taken care of..
I call insurance company’s like USAA all day long, and they aren’t that bad… I mean they should have provided you with a rental car, but maybe they are waiting on Geico to offer you something.., but it should’ve been part of your plan…
but look into these things what I said, and you will succeed— I promise you
CwboyBill
05 Feb 2010
I also deal with this sort of thing every day and I can tell you this for sure: a lawyer will take 1/3 of EVERY dime you get from your settlement. They are cold, ruthless, spineless liars and do NOT care one wit about you or your family. Lawyers are complete scum and care nothing about their clients — they are completely, totally, 100% driven by money.
Hire a lawyer if you want, but you haven’t seen pain like you’re going to have after dealing with those dirtbags.
You can take the vehicle to any shop you choose. It is up to the body shop estimator and the insurance appraiser to work out an agreed repair cost.
Use your own auto insurance to pay your medical bills.
If you are authorized by your doctor to drive, rent a vehicle. Check with the adjuster from Geico to see if they will pay the rental expense directly to the car rental company. If not put it on a credit card. You will get reimbursed.
Keep track of your medical expenses. Make up a list of lost wages, or lost sales or lost earnings.
When you are sure you are completely recovered, you can make a demand for settlement. It should be 5 times the medicals plus, lost wages, plus property damage.