I need all my lost buddies insurance knowledge....

FLJeep · **Joined:** Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:27 am **Posts:** 84

ok guys, well the saga continues. I signed the check to the property damage on wednesday. Now for the injury/personal stuff...

The only reason why i post this here is the money just isnt there to get from this guy so the lawyer is probably not needed.

This guy had the bare mins to be considered insurance in FL. I beleive the min is $10,000 personal/injury in fl, but I am not sure. Anyway, with that being his max limit, can i ask for the whole ten and pay the med bills out of that myself? everyone is saying to find out the guys max and go for that with the insurance agent. They are eager to get this done, but i dont want some POS settlement.

moose · **Posted:** Thu Nov 23, 2006 7:53 pm

a lawyer friend once advised me (after a similar situation), that i could go for 3x the medical bills, plus the medical reimbursment, plus the car damage (and loss of car value if it wasn't totaled, which it was).

waddy whiteguts · **Posted:** Thu Nov 23, 2006 11:10 pm

Don't go after the 10k you know he can pay out, you'll get negotiated down. Go for 50k and take the 10k. Obviously you don't want to just try and get all you can if it's beyond fair compensation, that wouldn't be right, but if you need to get your med bills taken care of, lost work time, the total of the Jeep, etc. you probably have to shoot high and settle for a little less.

FLJeep · **Joined:** Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:27 am **Posts:** 84

well no wthey want all sorts of medical reports and stuff so who knows. We asked for 20K and got told that he didnt cover that much but we couold get a "couple grand". This is where i am going to get screwed.

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Fri Nov 24, 2006 10:56 am

The way to get the most is complicated. You will have to get medical bills (actual) together and turn them in...the insurance company will pay up to the $10,000.00. Then you would have to sue the guy personally for the rest. You usually get 3xthe medical. If you had a lawyer, he would get 1/3, 1/3 would go to the bills and 1/3 would be left for you. If you don't get a lawyer, the insurance company is going to put you thru the ringer.

LimitedLurker · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:18 pm **Posts:** 114

Do you carry un/under insured motorist coverage?
If you do, file with your insurance too and let them fight with the other insurance company.

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Sat Nov 25, 2006 9:18 pm

Also check on your policy if you have PIP ...Personal Injury Protection ...It will pay your medical bills up to the value you selected.

Wahoo650 · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 8:46 pm

I'm a little lost here. If you know what your medical expenses are, that's what you ask for. If there will be on-going expenses, then ask that they all be covered. If you are asking for a pay day - get off. I, like everyone else here, pay enough for insurance now because some people think it's somekind of payday. I do sympathize that you came out upside down on your Liberty, but that's bad financial decision making on your part. That some jerk hit you is incredibly bad luck. But please don't make the rest of us pay for it.

my .02 (you can flame now if you like)

FLJeep · **Joined:** Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:27 am **Posts:** 84

My intentions are NOT for a "payday" but to make sure all my bills are covered. With her being out of work, hell she cant even drive without getting scared at the littlest thing, theres no telling what kind of medical will add up. I don't appreciate the comment.

moose · **Posted:** Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:18 am

Wahoo650 wrote:

I'm a little L.O.S.T. here. If you know what your medical expenses are, that's what you ask for. If there will be on-going expenses, then ask that they all be covered. If you are asking for a pay day - get off. I, like everyone else here, pay enough for insurance now because some people think it's somekind of payday. I do sympathize that you came out upside down on your Liberty, but that's bad financial decision making on your part. That some jerk hit you is incredibly bad luck. But please don't make the rest of us pay for it.

my .02 (you can flame now if you like)

Please don't take this as a flame, just as a clarification of the issue. There is more to it than just the dollar value of the medical and the dollar value of the damage to the Libby. Lost wages are a common side effect. Should that also be compensated? It was directly related and due to the accident. How about the loss of value to the car? If it gets fixed for $10K, because it had $10K damage - fine, but what about the carfax report on it now? Whoever buys the Libby next will see that it was ALMOST totaled and run. The value of the car is greatly reduced, no matter how good a repair job was done. There has to be compensation for that, don't you think? And the rest? It's chump change versus what some of these jurys are giving out for stupid things like hot coffee spilled in your lap. No, our lost brother doesn't sound like he's trying to cash in; if he was, he'd already have a slip-n-fall lawyer (you know, the one with the color add on the back of the phone book) and not be asking us.

my .02 as well

Wahoo650 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:18 am

No offense intended, but you really shouldn't be asking for an amount now. It sounds like there may be on going medical issues. You need to make them accountable for the expenses. If you settle for $$s now, all the bills become yours, and 10-20 or even 50K will be gone very quickly. Insurance companies love to settle, it gets them off the hook sooner(and forever). Make sure they pay for everything that is required for recovery, it's a good idea to add in writing that anything in the next year or two related to the injury be paid for as well. And forget about your existing medical plan covering it, if they find out (and they will) that the injuries were caused by, and payment received from another party, they too will refuse to pay. Even just getting what is owed may take time - up to a year or more, which is another way the insurance companies get people to settle. If in fact the guy only has the minimum coverage and it won't cover all of the bills, then you need to decide if he has enough to make it worth suing over. Pay the retainer and a lawyer will answer that for you, they don't like to sue for nothing.

moose · **Posted:** Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:30 am

Wahoo650 wrote:

No offense intended, but you really shouldn't be asking for an amount now. It sounds like there may be on going medical issues. You need to make them accountable for the expenses. If you settle for $$s now, all the bills become yours, and 10-20 or even 50K will be gone very quickly. Insurance companies love to settle, it gets them off the hook sooner(and forever). Make sure they pay for everything that is required for recovery, it's a good idea to add in writing that anything in the next year or two related to the injury be paid for as well. And forget about your existing medical plan covering it, if they find out (and they will) that the injuries were caused by, and payment received from another party, they too will refuse to pay. Even just getting what is owed may take time - up to a year or more, which is another way the insurance companies get people to settle. If in fact the guy only has the minimum coverage and it won't cover all of the bills, then you need to decide if he has enough to make it worth suing over. Pay the retainer and a lawyer will answer that for you, they don't like to sue for nothing.

agreed. get professional council.

DJBassman · **Posted:** Mon Nov 27, 2006 11:32 am

Get a lawyer. The type that goes after the insurace. They know how to deal with them, and they don't get paid until they collec (at least here in colorado). You will get 1/4th of what they can get.

GER A LAWYER.

FLJeep · **Joined:** Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:27 am **Posts:** 84

Thanks guys, the first lawyer doesnt want the case yet so i dunno.

I need all my lost buddies insurance knowledge....

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