The law requires that the person or company responsible for the accident must pay for repairs to your vehicle and for any medical expenses, lost wages, and pain you have suffered as a result of the wreck. Many victims of car accidents try to handle their own personal injury cases, hoping that the insurance companies involved will settle as promptly and fairly as advertised. Most of the time, however, this does not benefit the victim in any way. If you are badly hurt in an accident, it may take several months to recover from your injuries, if you recover at all. If you accept a “quick” settlement offer of a few thousand dollars, you could be left with thousands of dollars in expenses should surgery later become necessary or if you cannot work.
You need an experienced attorney who is familiar with Kentucky and Indiana insurance companies and their adjusters on your side to ensure that your recovery is the maximum recovery permitted by law. Most people forget that insurance companies’ obligations are to their stockholders and policyholders, not to people injured in car accidents. Insurance companies have enormous advantages: vast wealth, armies of sharp, experienced adjusters and attorneys, and dozens of legal reasons to reduce or deny compensation. All of these will come to bear against you in your case unless the company knows that your attorney is willing to take your case to a jury trial if necessary to get fair compensation for you. At Bach Hamilton LLP, that exactly what we do.
Negotiating alone or waiting until the insurance company makes an offer can be frustrating and costly. One wrong move or one mistake can cost you money. Delaying or guessing about the value of your personal injury case can result in the loss of valuable rights and thousands of dollars.
Make a claim
If you have Indiana insurance and you are hurt in an Indiana accident, you likely will have $5,000 in “no-fault” medical payments coverage under your automobile policy. A claim must be made with your insurance company immediately in order to ensure that your initial medical bills will be paid. We can help you do this, but you must call us as soon as possible.
If you have a Kentucky vehicle, state law requires that you have Personal Injury Protection coverage in the amount of at least $10,000. You are entitled to be reimbursed for up to $200 per week for any time you miss from work immediately. You also are entitled to reimbursement for any additional services you require, such as for child care, housecleaning, and the like. Finally, PIP funds can be directed to pay any of your doctors or hospital bills.
We can help you with the necessary forms if you contact our firm as soon as possible.
Take photos of your car
Your vehicle will likely be towed to a storage lot, and the other driver’s vehicle will probably be taken somewhere else. You MUST have pictures of ALL of the vehicles taken in the wreck as soon as possible, and before you remove your personal belongings. Our accident reconstructionists often rely upon our photographs and videos of the vehicles to help determine exactly what happened and who is at fault for the wreck. When our clients contact us IMMEDIATELY following an accident, the very first thing we do is locate and thoroughly photograph the vehicles involved and the scene of the wreck itself. In order to maximize your recovery, you must contact Bach Hamilton LLP as soon as possible.
Take photos of yourself
A picture is worth a thousand words, but it can be worth tens of thousands of dollars to you when resolving your bodily injury claim. Bruises immediately following an accident, particularly when you have suffered broken bones or facial injuries can look horrible but may be better within a few weeks. It is very important that pictures or a video are made soon after your wreck. When our clients contact us immediately following an injury, we can come to the hospital or to your home and thoroughly photograph your injuries in digital format for you, and we will also take a video statement so that YOU can review it in preparation for depositions or trial. In order to maximize your recovery, you must contact us immediately to arrange for photographs to be taken.
Keep track of your bills and records
You will receive letters from the insurance companies involved, your health insurer, and bills from your medical care providers soon after your accident. Keep these documents in a file folder, and bring them to your attorney. We use these records to ensure that the contact information with the insurance adjusters is correct, and we use the bills you receive to obtain all of your medical records from all of your doctors and hospitals. Most people do not realize that a trip to the hospital following an accident can involve several different medical entities – the ambulance service, the emergency room physician, a radiologist, and the hospital itself all typically bill separately. If you are badly injured, you will likely be seen in the hospital by surgeons, orthopedic physicians, your family physician, and others. All will bill you separately.
Please be sure to bring all of this information with you to your first visit with us. We will use it to help you in your case, and we provide our clients with a folder in which to keep all case-specific information.
We strongly advise that you not give any recorded statement about your accident to any adjuster without your lawyer present.
Make an Appointment Immediately
The actions you take in the days following your automobile accident will have a dramatic effect on the ultimate resolution of your claim. We strongly suggest contacting us immediately for your Kentucky or Indiana accident claim so that we can begin protecting your rights.