Automobile Accidents
1. Get Medical Attention : The most important thing to remember about any motor vehicle accident is that you need to get better. Healing correctly, and enjoying a pain-free life is the best outcome possible. Claims, lawsuits and settlements are a poor substitute for working hard to mend your body. Go to the doctor. Work hard to get better. Be honest with your doctors. If you hurt - explain where and how. Know that neck and back injuries tend to fluctuate week to week. It's normal to feel better one week, and then feel much worse the next. About 77% of neck/back injuries get better. The other 23% have problems for the rest of their lives. Work to get into that 77%.
2. Don't Talk To Insurance Adjusters/Give No Statements : If serious injuries are involved do not speak with any insurance adjuster - even the one from your insurer. They are not your friends. Also, do not give any recorded statements to any insurance company before speaking with an attorney. This is very important because insurance adjusters are trained to ask questions that will hurt you - and make it look like you are at fault. If you have given a statement, tell the attorney up front so that he/she can work to minimize the damage caused by it.
3. Traffic Tickets Don't Matter : Most people think that whomever was ticketed is at fault. That's imply wrong. A ticket from a police officer means nothing. Tickets have no legal substance when presenting a claim for personal injury/death.
4. Damages Allowed In Alaska : Alaska allows people injured in automobile wrecks to claim: (1) property damage to the car; (2) medical bills; (3) lost wages; and (4) pain/suffering. Each case is different. Each person's injuries are different. Cases with small medical bills can (sometimes) have huge pain/suffering components. For example, if a person's spine is severed, the medical bills may be only $5,000 - but the injury is permanent and will cause that person pain/suffering for the rest of his/her life.
5. Buy A LOT of Insurance : Alaska 's mandatory, minimum insurance is 50,000 per person and 100,000 per accident for liability (50/100). The same limits apply for Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist (U/UIM) insurance. This simply is too little. The minimum you insurance you should buy for your automobile is $500,000 of liability insurance and $500,000 of U/UIM insurance. It is smarter to have $1,000,000 of each. You should also buy at least $50,000 of "Medical Payments" insurance - to be sure that you and each member of your automobile have the ability to get medical care after a wreck. Shop around for insurance. Rates vary greatly. An insurance agent can tell you which insurance company offers the most insurance coverage for your dollar - but be aware that some agents can only recommend the company for which they work.
Recommend Personal Injury Attorneys:
- Ward Merdes, Esq.* - (907) 452-5400
- Joe Paskvan, Esq. - (907) 452-1205
- Ted Hoppner, Esq. - (907) 452-2492
- Bill Satterberg, Esq. - (907) 452-4454