Well, I was in a wreck today.  I was stopped for a good long time at a light in my subaru 2.5 RS impreza when this blonde in an avalanche paying attention to a bus (she said) plowed into me without so much as a tap on the brakes.  Rear end is smashed on my car.  Geico (her provider) already has it at the shop my company and her company goes to.  

here is the kicker.  my back hurts like hell.  filed that claim with her insurance.  I have to pay everything up front and they pay me back when I am done.  I have spent 800 so far and I am  now out of reserve cash and down to "this is what I use to eat money"

my insurance company is gonna call me tomorrow with more info.

what do I do?

there are these people that have studied law, I think they're called lawyers. Yea, they should be able to help you.

You need a doctor and a lawyer.

Doctor FIRST.

pawn shop.

Who is your insurance with? And do you have full coverage?

If your insurance agent is good and the company is good. Then file it on your insurance and let them subrogate (sue Geico) in insurance court.

Had to do this recently with State Farm. Filed everything on my insurance and then they went after the ladies insurance. Work great for me. Besides her insurance sucked anyway.

IM me if you have any questions.

Rusty

in most states if you have medical insurance they will pay your medical bills, when you get your settlement you will have to pay them back

Quoted: Who is your insurance with? And do you have full coverage? If your insurance agent is good and the company is good. Then file it on your insurance and let them subrogate (sue Geico) in insurance court. Had to do this recently with State Farm. Filed everything on my insurance and then they went after the ladies insurance. Work great for me. Besides her insurance sucked anyway. IM me if you have any questions. Rusty

I am with travellers insurance.  they have done a great job so far.  My agent thinks thats what they are gonna do.  Basicly cover my medical and then go after geico if they try to renig

Man you didn't even marry this blonde and she F****d you over and now the lawyers are getting involved

YOU had to front money?

Quoted: YOU had to front money?

yep, and my agent said that is acutally normal, sucky but normal.  but they opened a claim for me and got their dogs off the leash and we will be doing more tomorrow.  I am just quite nervous

Lawyer up ASAP!

You need a lawyer.  Sounds like you hit the big one.  Lawyers should/will fight amongst themselves to get your case.  Shop around, but don't take to long at all.

Quoted: Quoted: YOU had to front money? yep, and my agent said that is acutally normal, sucky but normal.  but they opened a claim for me and got their dogs off the leash and we will be doing more tomorrow.  I am just quite nervous

My personal experience with Geico was very, very bad.  A Geico customer caused my crash.  The police officer wrote him a citation.  He fought the citation and the judge found him guilty.  Geico still "F'ed" me big time.  

I am very weary of the Geico Gecko.  .  He wasn't my friend.  





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Quoted: Lawyer up ASAP!

Find the local ambulance chaser with all the big ads and billboards up and call him.

Geico is a PIA when it comes to getting dough out of them.

That is all bullshit. You take the friggin car to a body shop , they do an estimate, the ins cuts a joint check made out to the body shop and you  , you sign the check, body shop fixes car, you eventually drive away.  

What if it was a $75, 000.00 car and there was $30,000.00 damage done?  They expect you to pony up $30K ??  People don't have large sums of money laying around waiting to use for a wreck they didn't cause.  They should be supplying you with a rent-a-racer while your car is laid up.  

Don't be young and stupid. When I was your age I was in a similar accident.  My car  [ 70 Chevelle SW ] was bent like a banana.  23 yrs later I sit here typing this with a soft neck brace on to help support my neck. Lots of impacts over the years eventually add up. Make 'em pay.  I should have. They were sweating bullets and now I know why.

rj

LAWYER UP!


SUE SUE SUE!

Dude, if your back hurts like hell after some bitch rear-ended you at speed, maybe you should go to the hospital.  You don't have to show up with a fistfull of cash, they'll bill you (and bill you, and maybe fuck up and bill you a few more times).  Getting all John Wayne on a potentially serious injury that some other woman's going to end up paying for anyway don't make no sense.

Don't worry about the car, though I friggin love the 2.5 RS.. Damn shame.  Talk to the adjustor about a loaner car while yours is being worked on.  If the damage is bad enough, consider selling it when you get it back if they don't total it.

This is where you learn the value of your insurance company.  There's a biiiiiiiig difference in providers.

You should never have to put any money up front.  I was in an accident last year (a rear-end collision of which I was the first car in the chain).  The girl at the back admitted total fault.  Luckily, I habitually hang back so I hit no one in front of me.  She had Progressive and they paid for everything.  I paid nothing.  The agent even came to my home and visited me to discuss my injuries and the vehicle damage.

Get a lawyer.

You done just hit the lotto, sonny!

Have a Dr. check you out for sure.

Well, let's go through the most common ARFCOM responses...
Draw down.  Well, maybe, last resort.
Get both.  Wait, that doesn't apply.
Ditch the broad and move on.  Doh!  Moving on.
Ah, here we go.  Lawyer up.

ETA

Get a lawyer and a doctor.  Insurance companies are out to make money, and that means NOT PAYING YOU as much money as they can.  You need a doctor, but you need $ to see them, so get a lawyer to get that $.  Also, don't settle for petty ammounts that they will most likely throw at you to make you go away.  Also, the lawyer will know how to get the medical process going too....they have experience with this stuff, you don't.

Don't sign anything from an insurance company, don't accept any checks. Go to a doc and call an attorney, I see NFA in your furture.

If you want some helpful answers you are going to have to give some critical details.

Do you have full coverage or just liability?

Do you have regular health insurance?

Did you go to the hospital in an ambulance after the accident?  Have you gone to a doctor at all?

You spent $800 so far on what?  Doctor bills?  Missed work?  Rental car?

Have you talked to a lawyer.


If you haven't done every one of the above you are screwing yourself if there is something wrong with you.  Injuries can take up to 6 months to appear...but if you are never properly checked out you are going to have a heck of a time proving the accident caused the injury.

I can tell you don't have a lawyer because if did the lawyer would have gotten one of the insurance companies to pay for that $800 you spent out of your pocket, he would have you in a rental car at no charge, and you wouldn't have to resort to asking "what do I do" on a gun board.  Just because you get an attorney doesn't mean you are going to sue someone for a million dollars, it just means that you are looking out for yourself so you don't get screwed.

Quoted: If you want some helpful answers you are going to have to give some critical details. Do you have full coverage or just liability? Do you have regular health insurance? Did you go to the hospital in an ambulance after the accident?  Have you gone to a doctor at all? You spent $800 so far on what?  Doctor bills?  Missed work?  Rental car? Have you talked to a lawyer. If you haven't done every one of the above you are screwing yourself if there is something wrong with you.  Injuries can take up to 6 months to appear...but if you are never properly checked out you are going to have a heck of a time proving the accident caused the injury. I can tell you don't have a lawyer because if did the lawyer would have gotten one of the insurance companies to pay for that $800 you spent out of your pocket, he would have you in a rental car at no charge, and you wouldn't have to resort to asking "what do I do" on a gun board.  Just because you get an attorney doesn't mean you are going to sue someone for a million dollars, it just means that you are looking out for yourself so you don't get screwed.

I have full coverage on the car which is at the shop on their dime righ tnow

I have full health insurance through work

I went to a doc this afternoon, full xrays and perscribed physical therapy

800 was in doc bills

I talked to a lawyer.  Personal friend, deals in this crap

he told me to talk to my adjuster about having my insurance cover the costs then have them go afterr geico for the reimbursment and if geico even blinks funny, they eat them alive



ETA  sruy for the spelling, one of the pain meds is making me very very high

"i did not realize how bad i was injured until i talked to my lawyer..."

Quoted: Well, let's go through the most common ARFCOM responses... Draw down.  Well, maybe, last resort. Get both.  Wait, that doesn't apply. Ditch the broad and move on.  Doh!  Moving on. Ah, here we go.  Lawyer up. ETA

You forgot "I'd hit it"

And get a LAWYER! You shouldn't even be talking to an insurance agent!

Go see a Doctor. Tell them to BILL her insurance Company.

Don't talk to ANYBODY except your Barister!! DO IT!

Quoted: I have full coverage on the car which is at the shop on their dime righ tnow I have full health insurance through work I went to a doc this afternoon, full xrays and perscribed physical therapy 800 was in doc bills I talked to a lawyer.  Personal friend, deals in this crap he told me to talk to my adjuster about having my insurance cover the costs then have them go afterr geico for the reimbursment and if geico even blinks funny, they eat them alive ETA  sruy for the spelling, one of the pain meds is making me very very high

Is your friend a personal injury lawyer or just a lawyer who deals with that type of stuff from time to time?  

A girlfriend I had was in an accident similar to yours.  She was stopped and a truck 2 cars behind smashed into the car behind her causing that car to smash into her.  At the time her car insurance had expired and she had no medical insurance of her own.  She called me and I went to the accident site.  She told me her back hurt and she was all shook up.  I asked if anything else hurt and she said no.  I told her she was going to the hospital in the ambulance to get checked out.  The emergency room has to treat you so she was looked over and all sorts of x-rays done.  She didn't have to pay for any of that up front.  That night she was saying her wrist felt sore.  The next day her wrist got worse.  This continued on for awhile and after a couple weeks it still hurt from time to time so she had to go back to the doctor.  They couldn't find anything wrong with it but it hurt enough that it prevented her from working as a massage therapist.  The only way to make up for the lost wages is to get it out of the insurance company of the driver that caused the accident.

I also have a good friend who is strictly a personal injury lawyer.  He had advised me previously that if I was any type of major accident to always go to the hospital in an ambulance and get checked out as it starts a paper trail on the injury if any action is needed down the road.  I had my girlfriend go to him.  As soon as she contacted him and he got the ball rolling the other insurance company called her to set her up with a free rental car equivalent to her vehicle while her car was in the shop.  She also had her massage chair, about a $500 item, in the trunk of her car and it got smashed.  Within a week my friend had her a check to replace her chair.  The other drivers insurance company had tried stalling and gave him the run around but he knew how the game was played and was to get them to cooperate.  Now my girlfriend did have to pay for stuff out of her pocket because she had no medical insurance at all and was told that any type of settlement from the insurance company could take at least a year.  He said he would file for any type of settlement until she was recovered from all the injuries just to make sure nothing showed up later.

I don't see why you had to pay for anything out of pocket.  Your insurance company should have covered any bills and if they didn't you could always file under your medical insurance from work and let that company go after the driver.  You really need to hire a lawyer who does nothing but personal injury so that you don't end up screwing yourself especially if you are in enough pain that you need to painkillers strong enough to make you loopy.

Quoted: You need a doctor and a lawyer. Doctor FIRST.

I used to be an insurance adjuster.  Here are your options:

It sounds as if your property damage is being taken care of.  You can either file a claim through your company to have it fixed (or hers) - the end result is the same.  An adjuster writes an estimate, you take it to the shop of your choice for its repair.  You are entitled to a rental car of 'like class' while its being fixed.  If there is any hidden damage, a 'supplement' is written by the appraiser or the shop (if the insurance companies do enough work with them and trust their estimates)  Expect 'like kind and quality' parts - can come from wreckers/junkyards.  'Betterment' is a term used to describe making your car better than it was originally - here is the thinking.  If your car is a 2001 with a little rust or whatever, and a brand new 2006 rear bumper is put on, it is in 'better shape' than original.  Not saying it's right, but that's the thinking.  Sometimes people are actually charged (or money is deducted from the overall cost) for betterment.

Onto injuries....

You will likely get more money if you do not use a lawyer.  Some lawyers will help you for %10 if you do all of the written correspondence with the insurance company, instead of the usual 30% and 40% if they file suit.  Talk with the adjuster for a while, if they are good to you, deal directly.  If they rub you the wrong way, lawyer up.

Honestly, all the lawyer does is collect your medical bills/records/lost wages/past work checks and staple them all together in a demand package and say to insurance company .... we demand $$ for medicals, $$$ for lost wages, and $$$ for pain and suffering....  then they negotiate.  I saw plenty of private individuals do the same.


Ok - medical bills differ big time in different states.

You might have medpay under your own policy.  Basically this will cover all medical bills up to $5K no questions asked.  You just send the bill to your own company.  This may or may not need to be paid back at the end (depending on state you can sometimes double-dip ie:get your own company to pay the doctor, and then send the bills to the other company in your demand package and they will pay you directly.  Don't worry- sounds shady but is legal)

Other option is to use your private healthcare .... they will cover it but will send a 'lien notice' which states their claim.  They will want to be paid back at the end.  Keep in mind, just as people can negotiate hospital bills, you can also negotiate HMO liens.  IE - pay back 75%, etc.

Sorry can't type more right now - gotta get to work