Feb 15, Car Accident Compensation - Tips To Help You Get The Best Settlement

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It is not an exaggeration to say "we know how you feel". Kalide.co is the brainchild of a brother and sister team. We were both in our own life changing car accidents. And we both struggled through the process of figuring out treatments for our injuries: including Michelle’s brain injury and Joe’s severe whiplash, shock and post traumatic stress. These injuries left both of us confused, overwhelmed and needing support, probably much like you.

We both independently went on to start careers in the healing treatment of injured people. After working separately, we decided to join together in business, and we opened and ran 2 injury treatment clinics for the last decade. We have met thousands of people over the years who were struggling with doctors telling them they would be fine in a few days only to find their symptoms getting worse.

We know how people fight with their insurance companies who try to stop them from getting the treatment they need to get well. And helping people understand their rights and how a lawyer can help them through the process of getting bills paid and getting insurance agents to cooperate has become a passion for us both.

How the Website Got Started

We launched this free resource website for people just like us who needed somewhere on the net that was actually about real problems after car accidents. This site is for the injured, and confused normal folks who just want to get on with their lives but are suddenly confronted with complicated paperwork and big decisions in the midst of being in severe pain.

The heart of our site is our passion for helping people. We know that car accidents can be traumatic events, and we believe in helping you find your way through to the other side, in the best way possible.

We want to help you turn your life right side up. Let our experience with therapies, insurance companies and working with lawyers be your guide. You are no longer alone on this road. It is a process, which takes time - even if your injuries were quite minor.

And if after reading the articles you just can't find an answer to a question you have, please take a moment and send us your question. We do our best to respond to all questions.

We wish you the best, spend some time here at our site and you will come to see you have a friend in your corner.

Best Regards, Joe and Michelle

Take a moment and ask us your question...be sure to scroll down for the "submit" button

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Feb 5, Flipped my truck...

by Krystal
(California)

Two nights ago, my friends and I were driving down a dirt road in my truck when I swerved too hard and flipped it. There were four of us sitting in the front seat and none of us were wearing seatbelts. We landed directly upside-down on the roof. We miraculously walked away without any serious injuries, but we have the same pain in our backs and shoulder blades. So although we weren't hit from the front or back, is it possible we could still experience whiplash? (We're all slender girls between ages 14-18.)

Hi there, Michelle here...

I know I should start with just talking about your injuries, but I can’t skip something really important. No seatbelts. Four in the front seat. You are more than lucky. I wonder if you, as the driver realize how close you came to being responsible for a massive tragedy?

The driver of a vehicle is the one who makes the choice whether or not her passengers have seatbelts on. The driver is therefore also responsible when her passengers are not wearing their seatbelts.

You are young. And therefore it is normal for you to make mistakes when you are driving. Mistakes happen to even the very best drivers. The way you prevent an accident from becoming a tragedy- which you would be the cause of- you must not drive again, unless your passengers have seatbelts on.

It is easy to blame your passengers, but you control whether or not the car is placed into drive. You control everything when you put the key in the car. You must take this accident as a wake up call, and decide how you are going to take charge of the people who you are totally responsible for.

Ok, lecture over. I hope you are still reading.
Now, please go directly to the doctor. ALL FOUR OF YOU.

It is possible that there are many different kinds of injuries all of you are suffering from. Although you “walked” away from the accident, it is possible the injuries are still very serious, but have not been found.

Please go straight to the doctor, you all need x-rays, right now. Then after the x-rays, depending on what is injured, chiropractic and massage treatment are essential.

You can get whiplash from falling down a stairway. Often it is the stop of the forward motion which causes whiplash. You are moving forward inside a car which has momentum... when the wheels catch in the dirt â€" there is a radical reduction of your forward motion ---this can create whiplash.

However, you are still moving inside the car, and as the car begins to flip, once again your bodies begin to move, and then the car hits the ground and your body and it’s motion comes to an instant stop.

Your injuries can have come from more than one part of this accident.

So, use ice. Rest. See the doctor right away. Ice some more.

Good luck. Please make the choice to protect yourself and those who you are responsible for. M.

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Feb 7, Was getting better until..

by Tom
(Northampton UK)

Hello

We were driven into head on and our car was a write off last year.

I already have a lifetime back injury from 19 years ago due to a work accident.

The other party have offered to settle but I am worried that I may have to give up work as the pain is now as bad or worse than when I had the original accident.

Which is the best way to proceed with this as the stress is causing very bad Psoraisis as well.
Kind regards
Tom

Hi there, Michelle here...

You present a complicated case, no doubt. I don’t quite have enough information, so I will do my best to help you. You can always use the comment form to write back if you need to, I will get that as well.

Here we go: I do not know what kind of treatment you have had for either injury. If you are disabled from a prior injury, my best guess is you have a disc herniation, which probably flares and causes you a lot of pain at various times during your year. But this is a guess.

Regardless of the exact back injury, a car accident can make your injury a lot worse and increase your pain significantly.

You need to be evaluated by a chiropractor. And you need to be represented by a solicitor. Right away. I would NOT attempt to settle this one without being represented. The reason is because your prior back injury makes any settlement very very complicated.

This is how to think about a settlement. The goal of the settlement is to provide financial compensation for the pain and suffering the car accident caused you. This compensation must also take into account whether or not the injury you suffered will be a life long injury. If the injury from the car accident caused you to be in significant pain, your settlement must be large enough to provide future medical care, as well as large enough in case you can’t work.

Since the car accident aggravated a prior back injury, you will also want a lawyer to take this into account.

So, please reach out to a solicitor immediately. Explain the case and likely you will find someone who wants to represent you. Most lawyers will not charge you until they settle, and their fee comes out of the settlement.

Further, you must seek treatment. Of course I have no idea what treatment you have done, so this may or may not apply. But first things first, please go see a chiropractor. And you need to find either a massage therapist or even better a Rolfer. You need some very deep focused body work.

Likely the chiropractor will be able to refer you to a Rolfer (they do the deepest bodywork). You can also self refer to a Rolfer, just google search for one near you. Rolfing is one of the best combos with chiropractic care you can do to get out of pain. Please do this immediately.

I don’t have the date of your accident, so I am unclear whether or not you are near the statute of limitations for your accident (this means the date it becomes too late to collect any compensation), you can check out this page to help. UK insurance info.

If you are not too close to the statute of limitations, this means you have more time to both receive treatment and to find help from a lawyer.

If you are having a lot of pain still, I would say it is too soon to settle, that you need more focused treatment, and that you need a lawyer/solicitor to assist you with getting a fair settlement.

The insurance company will work very hard to prevent you from receiving fair compensation. The way to handle this is to be represented by a professional.

I sincerely hope this helps.
Best Regards, M.

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Feb 2, Alabama Bodily Injury - Answers about how things work in your State, in plain English, after a car accident

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FREE Evaluation of Your Accident Claim

Understanding how Alabama bodily injury works will help you understand how you will get your medical care covered for your injuries. All states have requirements for the type of insurance coverage a driver must have to drive.

In Alabama drivers are required to only carry Liability, which is separated into Bodily Injury Liability and Property Damage Liability. See below for more explanation of how this works.

Bodily Injury Liability

Alabama bodily injury rules mean you will seek medical coverage from the at fault drivers Bodily Injury Liability coverage. Because Alabama does not require PIP coverage you may not have selected PIP insurance. Your own company can tell you if you have PIP coverage. If you do not, your injuries will be paid for by the insurance company of the driver at fault in the accident, through their bodily injury liability coverage.

If you are at fault in the accident, your bodily injury liability will not cover these injuries, you will either need to open a PIP claim, if you chose this coverage, or you will need to use your health insurance.

Your coverage pays for serious and permanent injury or death to others when you cause a crash involving your automobile. Your insurance company will pay for injuries to others, up to the limits of your policy and provide legal representation for you if you get sued.

Before calling your company, look over at this page, Car Accident Claim - 10 Essential Claim Tips to help you have the best outcome with your claim.

Property Damage Liability

This liability covers you if your car damages someone else's property. This means damage to their car, or their property, such as crashing into someone's fence, or if you crash into their home. Like Bodily Injury Liability, Property Damage Liability coverage will provide legal protection to you if you are sued after the accident.

At Fault State

Alabama is a Fault State. This means that your insurance company and the company for the other driver will pay damages for medical claims, wage loss and other expenses based on the degree of fault.

However, Alabama uses Pure Contributory Negligence rules, which means that an injured party cannot recover any damages if the individual is even one percent at fault.

Determining who is at fault in Alabama after a car accident is complicated and should not be sorted out online. I highly recommend you contact an attorney to help you. Accidents are complicated, which means determining who is going to pay gets complicated, and there is often financial coverage where you don't expect it.

Alabama Statute of Limitations

The Statute of Limitations means that you must file a lawsuit or close or settle your case within your state time limits. The time clock starts on the day of the car accident.

Injury: 2 years

Property Damage: 6 years

If you need to file a lawsuit for your car accident compensation, you must do so BEFORE this statue runs out. The statute begins the date of your accident.

To learn more about your State's insurance rules and regulations: Alabama State Website for Insurance Questions

Home > Car Accident Compensation > Alabama Bodily Injury

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Feb 9, Should I hire a lawyer?

My son and I,(the insured) were in a car accident in Sept. 2012. We live in WA state. The other driver was found to be 100% at fault as she hit the rear driver side of our car after running a stop sign. The damage to my car was appx $5,000. Both my son(who was the driver) and I have been dealing with painful back injuries that have required ongoing treatment and physical therapy. The medical costs are approaching $10,000 for each of us. This has been covered completely by my PIP (which maxes at 10,000 each). I am also concerned about payment for further medical costs over the PIP limit. The 'at-fault' driver's insurance adjuster just left message to call "to see how I am doing" (which he has done previously). Should I not talk to him? This is the first time I have been in this situation and I'm worried about making the right decisions. I know we have 3 years, but wondering if it would be reasonable and beneficial to have an attorney handle our case through to settlement. Thank you for your suggestions.

Hi there, Michelle here...

First, thanks for providing so much information, it helps me understand your situation better.

The easy answer is yes, you both need to hire an attorney. A lawyer will take over all contact with the at-fault drivers insurance adjuster, all phone calls to you and your son will stop and the lawyer will simply be the one they contact.

This is a one of the benefits of hiring a lawyer. I would not call the at fault insurance adjuster back until you have spoken to a lawyer.

The second reason to consider having a lawyer representing you is that when you hit the PIP limit, which sounds like it will be quite soon, your medical providers may ask you to pay them for their services.

Or, they may want to take out a lien against your future settlement. A lien sounds scary , but is simply a legal means that the medical providers can guarantee they receive payment at settlement.

The other reason for hiring a lawyer, is because the damage to your car was not severe, and some insurance companies will attempt to argue with you that you did not need a lot of treatment because your car was not badly damaged.

Do not let this sentence worry you, I am only telling you this as it is a normal tactic an insurance company will attempt to use to keep a settlement low.

A lawyer will prevent these types of tactics from affecting your settlement in anyway. And further, the lawyer will make sure your medical care is covered for the future.

You already know that in Washington you have three years from the date of the accident to settle, close or bring any type of needed lawsuit against the at fault party.

You are well within the time limits, and so have nothing to be concerned with from a time perspective. A lawyer will keep track of the time frames and make sure you are protected.

You also may know this piece, but in case another reader doesn’t I will say it again: the first visit with a lawyer is free, there is no charge to you, this allows you to talk to some lawyers and find one who you want to work with.

Secondly, the lawyer is paid after the settlement from the settlement, not paid from your pocket. This can make a big difference when thinking about hiring someone, as you do not need to come up with the cash out of pocket to pay for a lawyer’s services.

I want to encourage you to seek chiropractic treatment, you mention physical therapy, and still being in pain. After treating patients for 20 years, I have found it a rare occurrence that patients will heal completely without chiropractic care.

Although physical therapy has a very real and important role to play in the healing cycle, chiropractic care treats the underlying cause of the muscle pain and weakness, which is the injury to the alignment of the bones.

When you have a traumatic impact in a car accident, the bones in the neck and back are injured. This type of injury puts pressure on the nerves, and this pressure causes pain to the muscles.

So, if you have not seen a chiropractor, please see one right away. You do not need to have a doctors referral to treat with a chiropractor, you can simply call and set up an appointment.

Finally, as you are in Washington, I want to offer you a more personal referral. If you are in either Seattle or Spokane, I can if you wish, refer you to the office of lawyers I know and trust and who have worked on cases for my clients.

Here are two ways to move forward:Contact us

Or, fill out the form here: Find a lawyer

Best Regards, M.

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