You reached a settlement. The number was agreed to, maybe verbally, maybe in writing, and now you are waiting for a check that has not arrived. Or you are about to settle and you want to know how long this last stretch is going to take before money actually reaches you. Either way, the question […]
What Happens After I Sign the Settlement Release Form
Signing the release form feels like the end of something. In the most important legal sense, it is. But between the moment you sign and the moment money actually reaches you, there is a sequence of events that most people have never been told about, and the details of that sequence matter more than most […]
What to Say When You First Report a Car Accident to Insurance
The call you are about to make, or maybe just made, to report a car accident to your insurance company feels like a formality. You were in an accident. You have insurance. You call and tell them what happened. That is the whole thing, right? The problem is that the conversation you are walking into […]
How to Prevent Insurance Companies From Reducing Your Medical Bills After an Accident
If you have ever heard an insurance adjuster tell you that your medical bills are being reduced because your health insurance already paid them, or that they are only going to pay the amount your health insurer negotiated rather than the amount your providers billed, you have encountered one of the most aggressively litigated financial […]
How a Rental Car Reimbursement Cap Works in an Insurance Policy
If you are dealing with a car accident right now and you need a vehicle to get to work, to get your kids to school, to do anything that requires leaving your house, the rental car question is probably feeling very urgent. You have insurance. You have been paying for it. You assumed that if […]
Can an Insurance Company Send Your Medical Records to a Third-Party Reviewer
If you have filed a car accident claim and the insurance company has requested your medical records, you are probably wondering what they are actually doing with them. The short answer is yes, they can send your records to a third-party reviewer under certain circumstances, and they do it routinely. The longer answer is that […]
What Does a Car Accident Insurance Adjuster Look For in Your Medical Records
When an insurance adjuster reviews your medical records after a car accident, they are not reading them the way your doctor reads them. Your doctor is looking for clinical information that helps them treat you. The adjuster is looking for information that helps them pay you less. Those are different reading projects, and they produce […]
How to Negotiate a Higher Car Accident Settlement with Insurance
The number the insurance company gives you first is almost never the number they are willing to settle for. That is not a cynical take on the industry. It is simply how the process is structured. Adjusters are trained to open low, and they open low because a significant percentage of people accept whatever number […]
Should I Settle My Car Accident Claim Before Finishing Medical Treatment
The honest answer is almost certainly no, and the reason why is more concrete than most people expect. It is not about being cautious or patient or following legal advice in the abstract. It is about a specific mathematical problem: you cannot calculate what your damages are worth until you know what your damages are. […]
What Is a Low-Ball Settlement Offer and How Do I Fight It
A lowball settlement offer is not always easy to recognize because the number itself does not come with a label. The insurance company does not call you and say the offer is unfair. They present it as reasonable, sometimes as generous, occasionally with language suggesting it reflects everything you have been through. The number sounds […]