A car accident causes a lot of uncertainties.
- Why does my neck hurt?
- Why am I having headaches?
- Why does my back hurt?
- Why do my hands feel tingly or go numb?
- Do I need treatment for my pain or will the pain go away?
- I take pain medication and that reduces the pain. Isn’t that enough?
- What happens to my body if I don’t get treatment?
- How do I afford to pay for treatment?
- Where do I go to have treatment?
- What kind of treatment do I need?
- Should I wait to hear from the insurance company before getting treated?
- The accident wasn’t my fault. So, the insurance company will pay for my treatment, right?
- Should I go through my health insurance for treatment?
- What happens if I can’t work and lose income?
- Since the accident, I have been afraid to drive. What do I do?
- I have trouble sleeping. How do I reduce my anxiety in order to get some sleep?
- Will my insurance rate increase?
- What is “pain and suffering” and how is it calculated?
- How long will this process take?
This list can go on and on and on …
So, what are the answers?
Not so fast because some of the answers are not simple.
After 27 years of handling thousands of car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian accident cases, I know one thing – like with everything else in life, changes are inevitable in the way we (injury and accident attorneys) and the insurance companies handle and value each accident case, which often affect answers to some of these questions.
Let’s look at an example …
Rear-End Collisions
The basic mechanics of car accidents have remained the same over time. When a car is hit from behind, the car occupants’ heads are jerked forward and backward, causing muscle tears and a reversal of the natural curvature of the spine, which is commonly referred to as whiplash.
Many people experience neck pain and stiffness with whiplash, but they may also experience headaches and have difficulty sleeping.
However, sometimes, the same accident can compress a nerve in the neck, causing a tingling or numb sensation that extends down the arm. Similarly, when a nerve in the lower back is compressed, it can cause sciatic pain that radiates down the leg.
So, if the mechanics of a car accident have remained the same, what has changed?
- Cars are built safer
First, cars are built safer as time goes on. There was a time when cars were not equipped with headrests. So, when a motorist and his/her passengers were hit from behind, their heads would snap back over the seat, resulting in significant damage to the neck. However, headrests prevent the head from snapping back, resulting in a less severe neck injury.
Cars are built with a frontal crush zone. This means that if a motorist has a major front collision, the engine will drop, and the front of the car will crumble. This is a safety measure to prevent the engine from going through the dashboard and injuring the occupants. However, there was a time when crumble zones did not exist, causing significant injuries in front-impact collisions.
So, injuries in car-vs.-car accidents have become less severe over the years.
- Insurance companies de-value pain and suffering
Insurance companies’ approach to assessing the value of injuries has evolved over the years, particularly concerning pain and suffering. Some companies examine the type of injury, others rely on computer programs with built-in algorithms, while some evaluate the treatment given.
With the inclusion of AI, this approach will only get worse because insurance companies will ultimately allow their built-in AI to determine the value purely based on information provided, such as the amount of property damage, the amount of medical bills, dates of treatment, etc.
But, every case is different because every injured person is unique. Pain and suffering for a 20-year-old marathon runner who suffers a broken ankle in a pedestrian accident is significantly different from the pain and suffering of an 80-year-old who was using an assistive device, such as a cane, to walk before the same type of accident.
- Not all Insurance Companies are the same
As with every business, there are trends in the insurance industry. There are times when a particular insurance company is more cooperative and increases the settlement value of its cases to resolve them quicker, and then turns around and conducts business in the opposite direction by giving out low-ball offers and fighting every single issue. Currently, State Farm falls in this category.
Not only does every insurance company handle claims differently, but certain offices within the same company often handle claims differently. For example, the claims adjusters in State Farm’s Atlanta office handle claims differently from the claims adjusters in State Farm’s Arizona office, and both handle claims differently from the claims adjusters in the Southern California offices!
So, what is the best way of going about an injury claim?
How do you fight an insurance company? How do you show the true value of your pain and suffering? How do you know the true value of your case?
This is where we come in. I have over 27 years of experience handling personal injury and car accident cases. My previous work as a defense attorney for an insurance company has given me a unique perspective, which enables me to provide better assistance to our injured clients.
But, it’s more than that. When you become a client, we make every effort to keep you informed about your case and reduce the stress of dealing with your accident case. When you call or text our office, you know exactly who you are communicating with and who is responding to you.
We answer your questions and explain your case’s strengths and weaknesses because we want you to be informed and understand the true value of your case before making decisions about treatment, litigation, and trial.
We know and appreciate every client, which is also what makes us different. We are not a Personal Injury Settlement Mill Firm, i.e., a firm that is “volume-based.”
Personal Injury Settlement Mill Firms work at a high volume. They take on as many cases as possible and settle them as fast as they can without going into litigation (filing a lawsuit). You generally see these firms with commercials on TV. Their attorneys are a revolving door, and you never know who the current handling attorney is. When you call their firm, they have no idea who you are because you are just another number to them.
So, can you really trust a Mill Firm that doesn’t know Eve from Adam to represent your unique perspective and injuries? Can you trust them to explain to you your case’s strengths and weaknesses and guide you through the mess? Can you trust them to reduce and relieve your stress?
We are here to help, protect, and educate (counsel) you. We will locate the appropriate healthcare providers and set up treatment for your injuries – based on a lien basis – and will relieve your stress to the best of our ability.
We represent clients all throughout California and Los Angeles County, including the Santa Clarita Valley, Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Canyon Country, Newhall, and the entire San Fernando Valley.
We work on contingency, which means that you pay nothing out of your pocket. We only get paid through settlement or judgment (recovery from the case).
If you are involved in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, bicycle accident, or pedestrian accident, please call (661) 476-5678 for a free consultation and assistance. You can also fill out this intake form.