Like so many other motorists traveling in proximity on neighborhood roads or busy city highways, you are probably busy; in fact, you may have such a full schedule that your only wish ever is to find a way to create more hours in the day for working, taking care of the home, acting as taxi driver for children, running errands—and ultimately, paying the bills and staying afloat. During all this normal but often frenetic activity, no one plans for—or welcomes— the enormous disruption of a car accident.
In many cases it would be a massive understatement to say that being in a car wreck due to the negligence of others will throw you for a loop—as you may be dealing with passenger fatalities and filing a wrongful death suit, as well as severe injuries to yourself—including the possibility of spinal injuries, significant head trauma that could have long-lasting effects, broken arms and legs requiring surgery, soft tissue damage, and a list that goes on. If you are not completely unconscious or debilitated after an accident (and that leads to many other complications), you may not only be surprised at how many details there are to take care of, but you may be highly resentful too if the accident was caused by the negligence of another motorist while you were innocently going about your business.
Enduring surgical procedures or a multitude of doctors’ visits after a car accident may suddenly make you feel like the event, happening in the blink of an eye, has caused an escalation of negative repercussions to take over your life. And dealing with the insurance company will take this to another level, far beyond irritation. As insurance adjusters begin to call, you may begin to feel a growing sense of pressure. While they may seem friendly, chatty, and even charismatic, their job is to apply pressure in the most subtle of ways…in the beginning. The goal is to settle your case with minimal (or no) payout, spending as little time on you as possible. Initially, the adjuster may be extremely methodical about requesting access to everything possible regarding the accident – including asking for you to sign off on numerous authorizations. This access allows them to investigate everything about the accident, and in some cases details regarding your entire medical history and even finances.
If you have not consulted with an experienced car accident attorney, do so as soon as possible. The key is to hand over all communications with the insurance adjuster to your attorney. Once the adjuster realizes you have experienced legal representation from a firm like Andrew ‘Pike’ Piekalkiewicz, PLLC, they will be forced to handle the case in a more serious and respectful manner, realizing that manipulation will not be as easy as they may have originally thought.
Medical records can be a dangerous area to navigate with an adjuster, as most of the claim revolves around payment for your medical bills and related suffering. Allowing complete access should be a cause for concern as in some cases, adjusters could be permitted access to your entire medical history, and consequently insinuate that whatever issues you had after the accident were caused or exaggerated by previous conditions.
If you have been injured in an accident due to the negligence of others, this is not the time to go it alone! Please call the law offices of Andrew ‘Pike’ Piekalkiewicz, PLLC as soon as possible at (713) 748-7453 or visit AttorneySgtPike for a no obligation case review.
