If you’ve been injured in an auto accident, and your insurance company is in a hurry to settle — BEWARE!
The quickest, easiest path is not necessarily the BEST choice. Think about it. Who will profit from a quick settlement? Most likely — both insurance companies involved. My friend Annie * is the perfect example of this.
Annie has been a paraplegic for more than twenty years. She nearly died in terrible car crash after being t-boned by car racing through a red light at around 80 mph. During long months in the hospital and rehab, she was repeatedly asked to settle by her insurance company.
Thankfully, Annie didn’t settle. She realized her life was changed forever. Who can put a price tag on that?
She hired a savvy personal injury/car accident lawyer.
She waited for years to settle, learning over time all of the hidden costs of living life as a paraplegic.
Her list of new needs was much longer and more costly than she could have anticipated in the early days of recovery from her personal injuries.
She needs 24/7 live-in help. Multiply that by 20 + years now. Add inflation to the cost of living. Factor in finding honest, reliable help. That’s a huge challenge by itself.
Her entire house had to be retrofitted for her to drive her scooter around inside the house. Doorways widened. New shower and safety bars installed. She needed new ramps built for her home’s exterior.
Of course, now she has to hire help to maintain every aspect of her home’s interior and exterior.
She also needed enough money for all of her routine bills for the rest of her life: house payment, food, electric, water, gas, phone, clothing, etc… And this was just the tip of the iceberg!
In order to get to doctors’ and therapists’ visits, a handicapped van was required.
Surprise, surprise! The maintenance costs for such a vehicle are astronomical. Another friend with handicapped children recently told me that their routine oil changes are nearly double the cost due to the modifications on their handicapped van. Then, of course, over time, this vehicle needs to be replaced!
Because Annie is a spunky, smart go-getter, she didn’t settle for routine therapies. After all, she only had limited success with those. Annie wanted to have a life!
Instead she tried alternative routes until she found healing therapies that worked best for her body and needs.
She was able to lose weight! She found an exercise routine and equipment that worked for her. She was actually able to bring back a certain quality to her life. She lives modestly in a comfortable home of her own.
Did I mention that Annie is spunky? She has gone on adventures like sky-diving and hot-air ballooning. She takes vacations. She even takes time for mission trips to help others in third world countries.
In short, she is not miserable and neglected in some government-run assisted living home!
None of this would have been possible if she had listened to her insurance company’s many pleas to settle.
Annie would probably have been forced to live in poverty, quite possibly in a group home. She would have had to rely on public transportation.
Worst of all, she would have to rely on the “moods” of overworked care-givers instead of hiring and firing her own private care-givers.
Her medical therapies and care would have been minimal. Annie’s pain levels would likely been poorly managed. This tragic accident could have led to a life no one wants to live!
Delaying insurance settlement for her best possible outcome made a huge difference for Annie!
Yes, it was a fight that went on for years!
Without an aggressive auto injury attorney on her side, life would undeniably have been very different for Annie*.
*Name changed to protect personal privacy.
Are you or a loved one facing a life turned upside down due to serious personal injuries in a car accident?
Before you settle with any insurance company, be sure to seek professional legal advice from an experienced personal injury lawyer. Take a page out of Annie’s book — don’t settle for less than your best possible outcome!
http://steimel-law.com/personal-injury-carcrash.html
The Law Offices of Nathan A. Steimel, LLC are here to fight aggressively for you — not for the big insurance companies! They won’t “farm out” your case to an inexperienced lawyer like some big law firms commonly do.
You need the best possible coverage to face such a mega life challenge. Call 636-244-3737 today for your free consultation.
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