by Anna
(King George, VA)
Hi, I was rear ended four days ago while sitting at a red light. I was in a 2012 Camray and I was hit by a rented box truck, which I did not see coming and was traveling at about 15 mph.
I'm now in pain; neck pain, base of my neck and shoulders & upper back and headache. I went to the ER the day of the accident. Xrays were taken and pain meds, etc. were dispensed. I was told no work for two days, no serious injury.
I now am in a lot of neck pain, very little range of movement, have a constant headache and am very nauseous whenever I try to read, so I cannot use a computer so I cannot work. I'm sweating bullets writing this. I cannot drive, I'm a commercial real estate property manager, so I have to drive for my job. I cannot take care of myself; I live alone on a farm, grow 50% of my own food, working the farm alone. Equipment, everything by myself. Right now is one of the most, if not THE MOST important periods of my season for farming, and I need to be able to do the work, but I cannot. What am I going to do???
I have not yet contacted a lawyer, but I think I need to. I am not a litigious person, but I think I need representation so I am not left without the means to take care of myself. The insurance agent for the rented box truck, rented through Enterprise who is self insured, called me this morning (day 3 after the accident) and after asking me if they could record the call, asked me questions trying to get me to admit that I was still moving even though I stated I was stationary, that I hit the truck even though I was stopped at a red light. I was told by this agent (who was really rude, by the way) that they have not accepted liability yet for the accident. There is no doubt that they will, eventually, but I'm more concerned about me and getting the right kind of medical treatment I need. But I'm a little lost and don't know where to seek the proper medical care.
My PCP has recently sold his practice, and I was told the new practice has none of my medical records! So it would seem I have no Primary Care Physician at the present time. Should I just go to the ER again, and let them document and treat me? I've never been sick in my life and I am just lost! I am not sleeping much as I'm in pain and so worried, not eating much as I feel so nauseous, I'm so worried that I'm going to lose my job, because I cannot go to work. I commute 67 miles one way to my office, and I am not supposed to drive on these meds!
Any advise you can give me will be appreciated!!
Hi there, Michelle here...
Ok, I have lots of advice for you. First, stop taking ANY calls from the other insurance company for any reason. You do not have to talk to them right now, and they are working hard to make this case go away. So. Don't return their calls, do not answer when they call.
I am going to start with the fact you need an attorney, right away. This is because you have an aggressive agent for the other side, you are working with a commercial insurance situation which can be more difficult than with other types of insurance.
Further, your financial pickle, the farming situation, and your work are going to mean you need a strong defender so that you get the right amount of settlement. Hiring an attorney does NOT mean you are litigious. It means you are taking care of yourself and protecting yourself against a system designed to take advantage of unsuspecting accident victims.
Hiring an attorney does NOT mean you will be bringing a lawsuit, over 80% of cases with lawyers hired, never see a court room. Instead, the lawyer works to make sure the client is protected, and has a settlement which is fair and compensates them for their real life losses.
Ok, so go to this link, fill out the form, its free, easy and you will be quickly in contact with a lawyer from your local area who can actually help you. Find a lawyer.
NEXT: Your income issues/ potential losses... Of course you are going to speak to your lawyer about this right away. However, you mentioned you have good insurance. Likely you will have PIP (Personal Injury Protection). PIP has a component in it, which is set up to assist accident victims with things they can no longer do.
For instance, one of my clients had to hire a painter because after her accident, she was unable to complete a painting job she had begun. The PIP covered the cost. PIP will cover house cleaning and all sorts of things which you are no longer able to do after an accident.
So, you will need to follow up on whether your PIP has this provision, and you will speak to your lawyer about this. IF the PIP will not cover you getting the help you need around the farm, then your lawyer will assist you in billing the other insurance company for your costs in getting help.
Injury: You need chiropractic help right away. The ER is only going to give you the same thing they gave you before, meds, a check up and no treatment. A chiropractor will be able to start getting you out of pain almost immediately. The doc will start with X-Rays, and will talk to you about a treatment plan, and will start right away with helping with pain relief.
I don't have referrals to chiropractors, however simply google chiropractors for your zip code. In the perfect scenario I would have you see a Atlas Orthogonal chiropractor, this is simply a specialist in the chiropractic field, and my preference for the injuries you are describing.
However, a traditional chiropractor will be wonderful for you as well, if there is not an Atlas doc close by.
The sooner you start with this treatment, the better. Your pain will begin to decrease and you will feel more able to do basic life things.
It is important to know however, that you are at the very beginning stage of this injury, and what you are experiencing is the most acute stage of the injury cycle. This means that as time goes by and treatment starts, the intense pain will decrease, and you will be in pain, but more able to do your life.
Ice at home regularly will help: ice your neck and shoulders when you are in pain. Use ice for 15 minutes then give your tissue a break, and then repeat.
You will get better I promise. Just line up the right team and you will be find everything feels very different.
Feel free to write back, use the comments section and I will respond.
Best Regards, M.
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