This Blog was brought to you by the San Antonio Car Accident Attorneys of the Carabin Shaw Law Firm in San Antonio

A car accident insurance policy is an essential purchase for every driver as it provides comprehensive coverage in the event of a road crash. This type of insurance safeguards you and your passengers from the financial implications of accidents. Driving a vehicle without this insurance or being in a car that lacks coverage exposes you to significant risks that can have severe consequences.

When an accident occurs, it often entails the need for car repairs and medical expenses for bodily injuries. These medical costs can quickly escalate into thousands of dollars, making it difficult to afford them upfront. Having a car accident insurance policy can mitigate the financial burden associated with accidents, ensuring that medical expenses are covered.

Rates and coverage offered to motorists vary among insurance companies, as they consider numerous factors when assessing individual policies. Factors such as the car model and the driver’s perceived risk influence the rates provided.

Each driver has unique circumstances, and insurance companies evaluate these factors differently, resulting in varying rates from one company to another. For example, drivers with a history of accidents tend to receive higher rates, although the specific amount can differ depending on the insurer.

In the unfortunate event of an accident that involves police intervention, the impact on your insurance rates can be more severe. However, if the accident is minor and both parties agree on a settlement, you can negotiate and pay the agreed amount without involving the police. This is especially true if the damage is limited to minor scratches, dents, and no injuries. Regardless of the situation, it is crucial to promptly inform your insurance company about the accident, even before reaching a settlement agreement.

If you are found to be at fault in an accident, several factors can increase your car accident rates. These factors include the extent of your fault in the accident, the severity of the incident, the issuance of a traffic violation ticket, and the type of claim filed after the accident. If you have recently filed a claim following a car accident, your rates may be higher indefinitely. Many insurance companies typically focus on the past 12 months when assessing rates, meaning claims filed before that may have less impact. However, if you have filed two or three claims within a five-year span, insurance companies may perceive you as a higher-risk individual, resulting in substantially higher quotes when they offer coverage.

To ensure you are always on the safe side, it is crucial to understand your insurance policy’s terms and conditions thoroughly. Familiarize yourself with the specific requirements and guidelines set by your insurance company. Maintaining a clean driving record by adhering to all traffic rules and regulations is essential for long-term financial stability and favorable insurance rates.

In conclusion, purchasing a car accident insurance policy is necessary for all drivers. It provides crucial coverage for car repairs and potential medical expenses, alleviating the financial burden of accidents. Rates and coverage vary among insurance companies, influenced by numerous factors unique to each driver. By understanding the terms and conditions set by your insurer and consistently practicing safe driving habits, you can protect yourself financially and maintain favorable insurance rates.

Your Opponents Fight Very Hard – and Sometimes Unfairly – in a Workplace Accident Liability Case

In all non-subscriber and third-party workplace injury claims, defendants can have powerful insurance companies and lots of attorneys to oppose you. Or your employer will be “self-insured” or even worse, uninsured.

Non-subscribers are represented by insurance companies who have attorneys either on-staff or on permanent retainer. And they are very skilled at defending their insurance company clients from injured workers or surviving family members who try to sue them. Insurance companies are in the business of collecting high premiums and avoid paying claims. They confront and try to intimidate you from the start. But experienced work accident attorneys like those with our Law Firm know how they work and are skilled at turning away every trick they pull when trying to wiggle out of paying legitimate damages.

But, self-insured employers who are liable for workplace injuries, or those who have no insurance whatsoever pose many different, and pernicious problems altogether. They resort to anything that will work for them once an injured worker takes legal action to recover damages. Some of their tricks are shameful at best. Others are nothing but illegal.

You will likely deal with an officer of the self-insured company or maybe even directly with your employer if it is a small company. Either way, the income of whomever you deal with is certainly tied directly to company profits. Any damage amount paid to you for your trench collapse injury comes directly out of those profits. So by compensating you, your employer literally takes money out of his own pocket. We are rarely surprised when a sneaky, self-insured company officer uses any and all means to deny a trench cave-in injury claim in order to protect his company’s (and his personal) assets.

Self-insured or uninsured employers can deliberately dispose of evidence and sometimes even pay witnesses to “disappear.” Other times they’ll bribe or intimidate witnesses, even you: sometimes going so far as resorting to physical threats. This is why every time we represent a client against a self-insured company, the first thing we do is to file motions in court that prevents anyone with the company from behaving inappropriately against our clients. Sometimes these motions include a clear demand that they make no attempt to communicate with our clients in any way without one of our attorneys present.

An experienced Texas workplace accident lawyer with our Law Firm helps you deal with your challenging (and contentious) work-injury case. We have every bit of the necessary expertise to help injured workers (and grieving families) just like you, win the fair compensation they deserve for their medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, disability, and wrongful death.

Put our experience to work for you, today! If you want to know what your rights are, either as a surviving trench accident victim or as the surviving family members of one, how to proceed with your claim and how much compensation you can reasonably expect to secure, we can answer every one of your questions and share the likely strategy to produce the rightful compensation you have a right to claim. Call our Law Firm now for a free consultation and find out how we can help you.

Don’t let those who negligently caused your work accident injury to victimize you and your family even further.

Consulting a Personal Injury Attorney

Most people do not have many occasions to consult with a San Antonio Car Accident Attorney. The whole process can seem mysterious and intimidating, especially if you have been injured. The attorney-client relationship is an important one, and it is important for you to know as much about it as you can. Experienced personal injury attorneys know the importance of a good attorney-client relationship, and want to help you.

The Initial Interview

Many attorneys will tell you that the first meeting with a new client is the most important meeting. The first meeting is your chance to “size up” your lawyer and make sure that you are comfortable having him or her represent you. It also gives your attorney the chance to make a preliminary evaluation of your case.

At the first interview, your attorney will ask you to explain what happened to cause your injuries. You also will be asked how the injuries affect you. Do not be surprised or offended by difficult questions, or questions that may seem like your attorney does not believe what you are saying. If there are points that make your case seem less strong, it is important to learn these points early on to be able to refute them later. You should also not be embarrassed by the intimate, personal nature of some of the questions you will be asked, particularly about your medical condition. In a personal injury lawsuit, many of the facts needed to prove your case involve things you may not otherwise like to discuss. While it may be uncomfortable for you, remember that it is important that all the information about your condition be known.

The initial interview is usually when your attorney will tell you what he or she thinks of your case. You should learn if your case is a good one and if your attorney thinks it will succeed. You should also learn what type of fee arrangement will be made. Most injury cases are handled on a contingency basis; that is, your attorney receives a percentage of any judgment or settlement you are awarded. You should find out what the percentage is, and how the expenses of handling your suit will be paid.

At the first interview or shortly thereafter, you will be asked to sign authorizations for release of information. These releases will allow your attorney to collect information about you that normally is kept confidential. Examples of the types of information that may be obtained include

Medical records
Employment records
Insurance information
Police reports
Treatment records

Your attorney will also give you any specific instructions he or she may have for you. The most common instruction is not to talk to others involved in your case. Most attorneys will ask that you refer any questions or requests in your case to him or her.

Pursuing Your Case

You and your attorney should stay in close contact with each other while your case is going on. You should feel free to contact your attorney about any questions or concerns you may have, and you should welcome questions and meeting requests from your attorney. There are many things that you may be called upon to do to pursue your case (such as testifying at a deposition, or giving answers to written questions known as interrogatories). Some of what will be asked of you may seem burdensome, but your cooperation is a vital part of the success of your case.

Conclusion

Your attorney is working to help you. The best type of attorney-client relationship is the one in which your attorney also works with you, and you work with your attorney. An experienced personal injury attorney knows the importance of good client relationships, and will work with you, as well as for you.