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Frequently Asked Questions
People who have been injured in a serious workplace accident or car crash have a lot of questions and worries. They are in pain. They are unable to work. They have medical bills. Life just became much more difficult.
Our staff will handle all the unpleasant tasks involved in being involved in a serious accident. You and your case are important at Collins & Truett Attorneys, P.A.
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HOW DO I GET THE MOST MONEY FOR MY CASE?Evidence is essential in order to get top dollar for an injury case. This means there must be proof of who was at fault for the accident and that the accident caused your injuries. Police reports and witness statements go a long way to proving fault while detailed medical records from qualified doctors (many times orthopedics or neurologists) are used to show the cause and extent of the injuries. We work to build a solid case in order to seek maximum compensation for our clients’ injuries
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IS THERE A BENEFIT TO BEING REPRESENTED BY A LAWYER?Most of the time in an accident injury situation, an insurance company will be your opponent. Insurance companies are very skilled at denying or minimizing injury claims – that’s how they make money. Insurance adjusters regularly deny claims that should be paid, or they offer only a small percent of the fair value of a claim. Our goal is the opposite. We develop a settlement package presenting our client’s case that often can result in our client receiving 10 to 20 times more compensation than what the insurance adjusters might offer for their injury claim. In such case, even after legal fees, our clients can net more money in their pocket. Even better, we work on a completely contingent basis, so there are no legal fees unless we are successful in collecting compensation for our clients.
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SHOULD I CONTACT MY INSURANCE COMPANY AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT?You have an obligation to report a car accident to your own insurance company even if you believe you were not at fault. We prefer to report the claim for you to prevent you from being questioned outside the presence of your lawyer which could hurt your case.
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SHOULD I TALK TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY?Do not talk to anyone at the insurance company. This includes their insurance adjusters and defense lawyers. Insurance companies frequently record phone conversations during which they ask leading questions designed to produce testimony that they can use to deny your case. If we are your lawyers, we will do the talking for you so you do not fall into the insurance company traps that are designed to decrease the value of your claim.
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HOW DO I PAY MY MEDICAL BILLS?Medical bills can be paid through various manners such as health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Personal Injury Protection insurance funds, deferred billing, and letters of protection. Depending on all of the facts surrounding your case and the insurance companies involved, we produce a strategy that we believe will best benefit our clients. Also, even if our clients do not have access to health insurance, we can assist them with getting medical care that is paid at the end of the case – which means no upfront medical bills.
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HOW DO I COLLECT MY LOST INCOME?Even if an injured person is not able to work after an accident, insurance company tactics are to disagree and assert that the person could work so the insurance companies can deny the claim for lost income. It is important to have a qualified doctor’s medical documentation that proves the inability to work for a certain period of time due to an injury. We work with our clients’ doctors and employers to prove the medical reason for not working and the calculation of lost earnings. This frequently results in a fight with the insurance company, but we believe that with solid evidence we are ultimately able to win the fight and collect our clients’ lost income.
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WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD I COLLECT AFTER A PERSONAL INJURY ACCIDENT?You should collect the names and phone numbers of any witnesses, if you are able. You should write down the police officer’s name and try to get the crash report number, if the police are involved. If you’ve been involved in a car, truck, motorcycle or pedestrian accident, you should take photographs of the vehicles and accident scene. If the other person caused the wreck you should ask him or her to write out a statement or give you a recorded statement on the voice recorder on your phone that they were at fault. However, your first priority should be getting the medical attention you need even if this prevents you from getting the information listed above.
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WHAT IF I’M THE VICTIM OF A HIT AND RUN CAR ACCIDENT?If you are hit by a car and the driver leaves the accident scene you should try to get the driver’s license plate and call it in to the police immediately, if you are able. Even if you cannot get the license plate you should call the wreck in to the police and call your lawyer. If you or the car you were riding in has uninsured motorist coverage you may be able to assert a claim under that coverage if the other driver cannot be located. Your own insurance company will take an adversarial position to your claim so do not file the claim or give them a recorded statement without your attorney.
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SHOULD I CONTACT THE POLICE AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT?Yes. You should contact the police immediately so the evidence can be documented and the driver’s names and insurance companies can be obtained.
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DO I HAVE TO TALK TO THE POLICE AFTER A CAR OR OTHER ACCIDENT?Yes. You must cooperate with all law enforcement to the extent requested of you. However, if you are medically unable to talk you should request that you talk to the police officer at a later date so you can get medical attention. If you have time to talk to your lawyer before giving the police a statement that is preferred.
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HOW DO I DETERMINE WHO WAS AT FAULT IN MY ACCIDENT?You will have an opinion regarding who was at fault, but ultimately this is a decision for a judge or jury. Accident claims are settled or litigated based on how parties predict a judge or jury will decide a case. You should relate the facts of your accident to your attorney and let your attorney guide you on the best way to present your case.
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CAN I WORK WITH COLLINS & TRUETT ATTORNEYS, P.A., ON BEHALF OF AN INJURED FRIEND, LOVED ONE, OR FAMILY MEMBER?"Yes. Many times when someone is seriously injured or incapacitated a family member or friend steps in and represents the injured person.
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CAN I WORK WITH COLLINS & TRUETT ATTORNEYS, P.A., ON BEHALF OF A FRIEND, LOVED ONE, OR FAMILY MEMBER WHOSE LIFE WAS TAKEN DUE TO AN ACCIDENT?"Yes. In a situation where someone has died somebody has to represent the estate of the deceased and make the claims the deceased person would have made if still living. Additionally, certain people related to the deceased, such as the spouse, children, or parents may have individual claims against the person who caused the death.
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SHOULD I SEE A DOCTOR AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT OR WAIT TO GET MEDICAL CARE?You should absolutely seek medical attention from a qualified physician right away. Initially, this may be medical care from an emergency room. It is also a good idea to see a specialist for more detailed attention. We can assist you with seeing a specialist.
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HOW CAN I HELP MAKE MY PERSONAL INJURY CASE A STRONG CASE?Follow the recommendations of your lawyer and your doctor. Don’t talk to any insurance company or insurance adjuster. Let your lawyers do all of your communication for you to outside parties and insurance companies. You can talk to your doctor and the police when appropriate, but not to anyone else.
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SHOULD I GIVE ANYONE A RECORDED STATEMENT REGARDING MY PERSONAL INJURY ACCIDENT?No. Never give anyone, from the insurance company or otherwise, a recorded statement regarding your accident. This could prove to be a major detriment to your injury claim. Let your lawyers handle all communications and recorded statements.
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SHOULD I SIGN ANY MEDICAL AUTHORIZATION FORMS REQUESTED BY ANY INSURANCE COMPANY INVOLVED IN MY ACCIDENT?No. You should never sign any forms you receive from any insurance company or its representatives. All forms and legal documents should be handled by your attorney.
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WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY MEDICAL BILLS THAT RELATE TO INJURIES FROM THE ACCIDENT?Who will pay my medical bills? The answer to this question can vary depending on the different types of insurance involved. If you have a medical health insurance policy, PIP, Med Pay, workers compensation, etc., we may be able to use one or more of these policies. If you do not have any of these policies, we can issue a letter of protection to the doctors so you can be treated without any upfront money paid by you, and the doctors get paid when the case settles. We will conduct a full analysis of your case to best determine how to get medical bills paid. Ultimately, we will seek to have the at fault defendant be responsible for your medical bills.
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CAN I HANDLE MY CASE WITHOUT A PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY?Doing so could prove to be a huge mistake. The law in this area is very complex and you will have professional insurance adjusters and lawyers working against you to deny or minimize your case. One wrong step can destroy your case. We believe that you are far more likely to receive the maximum amount of compensation if you let experienced personal injury attorneys handle your case.
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HOW MUCH IS MY PERSONAL INJURY ACCIDENT CASE WORTH?The case must be fully developed to answer this question. It is dependent on the amount of medical bills and the degree of injury reflected in the medical records. It also depends on the facts surrounding how the injury occurred and the size of the insurance policy of the defendant. We take into account all factors in advising you the value of your case.
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IF I HAVE COLLINS & TRUETT ATTORNEYS, P.A., HANDLE MY PERSONAL INJURY CASE, WHAT WILL I HAVE TO DO?"Basically, Collins & Truett Attorneys, P.A., will handle everything regarding your legal case. All you have to do is concentrate of recovering from your injury and following the doctor’s orders.
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DOES COLLINS & TRUETT ATTORNEYS, P.A., TRAVEL TO SEE CLIENTS?"Yes. We will travel to you if you prefer. Sometimes our clients are in the hospital or unable to travel easily. We are happy to meet with you at any location.
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