Settling Your
Motor Vehicle Accident Claim Yourself
by: Dan Baldyga
Handling a property damage and/or
personal injury (motor vehicle) claim yourself is a simple and routine
procedure for ordinary individuals to process on their own ! The vast
majority of motor vehicle accident claims require no specialized expertise
which allows one to successfully settle it.
There are five characteristics found
which makes them easy for one to undertake without handing their case to a
lawyer:
#1. The vast majority of them are
“Ordinary” in character.
#2. By and large they don’t involve
serious injuries.
#3. More often than not (in
comparison to the 10 to 15 percent that do) their are relatively low
financial stakes and also minor economic losses involved.
#4. They’re processed by the
insurance company (who will ultimately be responsible for a payment to be
made) in a highly routine, assembly-line format.
#5. Both parties are ordinary
citizens (rather than institutions) and demand no specific expertise to
undertake.
There are thousands of laypersons
who are under the impression that when they gave their case to a lawyer
that the large “Contingency Fee” which the attorney will eventually take is
in exchange for a guarantee of SKILLED and PROFESSIONAL representation. Too
often they suddenly learn differently (but by then it’s to late) because by
the time that realization arrives they’ve already been taken to the
cleaners!
Most of us believe that lawyers have
passed rigorous examination, so we assume that when it comes to the proper
execution of legal documents and knowledge of the law, that surely they
know what they’re doing. But, “How To” properly handle and investigate a
client’s motor vehicle accident case, is not a skill learned in law school.
Most lawyers don’t have it - - nor do they take the time to develop them.
It’s not for his great knowledge of
the law, or his great expertise in courtroom skills, that an attorney can
be effective in securing for his client the best possible settlement in
their motor vehicle accident cases. Rather it’s possessing the skills and
ability to make patient, painstaking investigations, to gather information
and document a claim. But, here’s the problem: The vast majority of lawyers
lack those essential attributes so as to position themselves to correctly
process a clients motor vehicle accident claim.
QUESTION: “How can Dan Baldyga be so
sure about what he’s written regarding the above?” ANSWER: “Because Dan was
an Insurance Claims Adjuster, Supervisor, Manager and Trial Assistant. He
observed all of that come to pass - - for over 35 years!”
FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE SUBJECT
OF LEGAL FEES: The Rand Corporation for Civil Justice in Santa Monica,
California found that accident victims who filed claims in Federal and
State courts in the United States were awarded $21 to $25 billion of the
$29 to $36 billion in total national expenditure made on all tort lawsuits
in 1985. (Just imagine how much that figure has increased , over the many
years, since then!).
HOWEVER - - AND USING THOSE SAME
STATISTICS - - THE FOLLOWING WAS ALSO TRUE: After deducting the lawyer’s
fees on all tort lawsuits in that same year, the victims wound up going
home with a “Net” compensation of approximately $14 to $15 billion. These
figures proved that the injured party received 56% of that figure, while
the “Litigation System” got the rest = 44%! (The combined lawyers fees
alone constitute a whopping $11 to $13 billion dollars of the amount paid!)
So, you may ask: Does the average
claimant need a lawyer (who more often than not knows little or nothing
about “How To” settle a (motor vehicle ) accident claim)? The answer is:
No, they don‘t!
WHY? Because rather than resisting a
payment the adjuster only wants the claim to be supported by documentation.
Proof that will provide him and his superiors, in the Home Office (via the
evidence of value received) which has been nailed down with Medical Bills,
Lost Wage Letters, and similar documents. You don’t need a lawyer to obtain
these for you because you can get these yourself. So, don’t believe the
legal fraternity’s typical mumbo-jumbo con-job regarding, “My expertise
when dealing with the Insurance Company”.
And why not you may ask? The answer
to that one is very simple: Because when presented with these the adjuster
will become a willing buyer, whether your have a lawyer representing you or
not!
DISCLAIMER: The only purpose of this
article SETTLING YOUR MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT CLAIM YOURSELF is to help
people understand the motor vehicle accident process. Dan Baldyga, Peter
Go, Nor ARTICLECITY.COM
make any guarantee whatsoever; NOR do they purport to engage in rendering
any professional or legal service, NOR to substitute for a lawyer, an
insurance adjuster, claims consultant or the like. Whenever such help is
desired it is THE INDIVIDUALS RESPONSIBILITY to obtain such services.
All of information necessary for you
to deal with and handle the above issues are spelled out within the
contents of Dan Baldyga's third "How To" Insurance Claim Book AUTO ACCIDENT
PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM (How To Evaluate And Settle Your Loss)
found on the internet at
http://www.caraccidentclaims.com OR
http://www.autoacccidentclaims.com. This book also contains BASE (The
Baldyga Auto Accident Settlement Evaluation Formula). THE BASE FORMULA will
tell you exactly how many dollars the "Pain and Suffering" you endured - -
because of your accident - - are worth
Copyright (c) 2004 By Daniel G.
Baldyga. All Rights Reserved
About The Author
Dan Baldyga is now retired and spends his time writing articles to
assist those who are involved in motor vehicle accident claims so they
won't be taken advantage of:
dbpaw@comcast.net |
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