Our Atlanta injury firm represents people from all over Atlanta and the State of Georgia. One common problem our injury clients have after being hurt in a car accident is having to contend with calls and letters from bill collectors. When you have suffered a disabling injury and are struggling just to cope with your injuries the last thing you need is phone calls and letters from your doctors and other creditors asking you when you are going to pay them.
So what should you do? For starters, don't make the mistake of ignoring calls and letters. Take the initiative to communicate with everyone you owe. Call them before they call you.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
I Was Injured In A Car Accident But Do Not Have Medical Insurance - How Can I Find a Doctor Who Will See Me? Part Two
A few days ago I blogged on the question of how to find a doctor who will treat you after an injury even though you do not have health insurance. As I discussed in that post, this is a big problem for many of my Atlanta personal injury clients.
Here is one solution to the problem. If you are uninsured, one key to getting the treatment you need is something called an attorney lien. An attorney lien can open doors to treatment that would have been otherwise unavailable to you. We also can help you find the right doctor.
Here is how an attorney lien works: You tell us what treatment you need but are unable to get because you do not have medical insurance. We arrange for you to get that care right away and you pay nothing up front. We do that in one of two ways. A limited number of facilities and doctors will accept our written agreement that if they will take care of you we will, as your attorneys of record, promise to pay them at the end of your case. Other facilities work with a medical funding company that will pay your doctor up front if your attorneys of record promise to pay the funding company at the end of your case. Both approaches are effective ways to get you the treatment you need when you need it and without bankrupting you!
I know how important getting the right treatment can be. Without it your health is at risk. Your legal claim suffers as well, since if you do not get the treatment you need your attorney has no way of proving the extent of your injury.
Here is one solution to the problem. If you are uninsured, one key to getting the treatment you need is something called an attorney lien. An attorney lien can open doors to treatment that would have been otherwise unavailable to you. We also can help you find the right doctor.
Here is how an attorney lien works: You tell us what treatment you need but are unable to get because you do not have medical insurance. We arrange for you to get that care right away and you pay nothing up front. We do that in one of two ways. A limited number of facilities and doctors will accept our written agreement that if they will take care of you we will, as your attorneys of record, promise to pay them at the end of your case. Other facilities work with a medical funding company that will pay your doctor up front if your attorneys of record promise to pay the funding company at the end of your case. Both approaches are effective ways to get you the treatment you need when you need it and without bankrupting you!
I know how important getting the right treatment can be. Without it your health is at risk. Your legal claim suffers as well, since if you do not get the treatment you need your attorney has no way of proving the extent of your injury.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
I Was Injured In A Car Accident But Do Not Have Medical Insurance - How Can I Find a Doctor Who Will See Me? Part One
This post could have been entitled this: How You Can Get Medical Treatment, Hospital Services, & MRI/CT Scans Even When You Do Not Have Medical Insurance. I regularly talk to people all over metropolitan Atlanta about this issue - it is a very common problem for car accident injury victims.
Here is the cause of the problem: the high cost of medical insurance puts it out of reach for many people. What do you do if you are injured and must go to the doctor but no doctor will see you?
Here is what we tell our clients - following an injury in a car wreck or other accident YOU CAN get the medical care you need EVEN IF you are uninsured. And we can help make it happen.
Here is the problem many uninsured people run into: hospitals and doctors are not willing to directly bill the insurance company of the driver that caused your accident (because the insurance companies will not pay until the end of your case). Hospitals and doctors want you to pay up front or provide them with proof of health insurance before they will see you. As a result many uninsured patients simply do not get the treatment they need. Their legal claims also suffer since no treatment = no claim.
This problem is a serious one - both for your health and your legal claim. It can be harmful to both.
Next time I will blog on the solution to the problem I have been discussing today.
Here is the cause of the problem: the high cost of medical insurance puts it out of reach for many people. What do you do if you are injured and must go to the doctor but no doctor will see you?
Here is what we tell our clients - following an injury in a car wreck or other accident YOU CAN get the medical care you need EVEN IF you are uninsured. And we can help make it happen.
Here is the problem many uninsured people run into: hospitals and doctors are not willing to directly bill the insurance company of the driver that caused your accident (because the insurance companies will not pay until the end of your case). Hospitals and doctors want you to pay up front or provide them with proof of health insurance before they will see you. As a result many uninsured patients simply do not get the treatment they need. Their legal claims also suffer since no treatment = no claim.
This problem is a serious one - both for your health and your legal claim. It can be harmful to both.
Next time I will blog on the solution to the problem I have been discussing today.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Drunk Drivers Come Out On New Year's Eve But New Year's Day is the Deadliest For Motorists
Atlanta roads are always dangerous but they grow positively treacherous if you drive on a holiday. Tonight, New Year's Eve, is a good night to stay home. For those that venture out, please drive with extreme caution. We all know that drunk and drugged drivers will be out in force, causing injury and death.
While I love to help make my clients' lives better, I hate the behavior that causes them to get injured and be in need of an attorney. When I think of all the injuries and deaths that are likely to occur tonight, well, it's more dreadful than I can bear to think about.
And here is a fact that may surprise you - New Year's Day is more deadly for motorists than New Year's Eve. So please keep your guard up on New Year's Day! It is another good day to just stay put at home!
While I love to help make my clients' lives better, I hate the behavior that causes them to get injured and be in need of an attorney. When I think of all the injuries and deaths that are likely to occur tonight, well, it's more dreadful than I can bear to think about.
And here is a fact that may surprise you - New Year's Day is more deadly for motorists than New Year's Eve. So please keep your guard up on New Year's Day! It is another good day to just stay put at home!
Monday, December 12, 2011
What Is The Statute Of Limitations If I Am Injured In A Georgia Car Accident?
It depends! Unfortunately that's the best answer I can give you without knowing the details of your accident and injury. But I can say that more often than not the answer is 2 years.
The statute of limitations is like a timer that starts ticking down to zero as soon as an injury occurs. When the timer reaches zero all your legal rights are extinguished. So it is imperative that you know how much time is left on the timer!
It works like this: The State of Georgia has laws on the books that restrict the time an injured person has to file a lawsuit against the person who caused the injury. For example, let's say you have been injured by a drunk driver and your injuries are limited to "injuries to the person." Under Georgia law you have 2 years from the date the drunk driver hit you to sue. If you or your attorney fail to file suit within 2 years you lose all your legal rights in connection with that injury. You either need to get your claim settled prior to the two year anniversary of your injury or file a lawsuit in advance of the end of the limitation period.
Like most things in the law, statutes of limitation can get complicated. Let's say you were badly injured in a DUI accident and your spouse suffers as a result - for instance, you can't do the things around the home you used to do and your spouse has to take up the slack. That is called "loss of consortium" and is a valid item of damages. The statute of limitations on "loss of consortium" is 4 years - not 2 years. So some complications can arise when you have multiple claims all arising out of one incident.
There are all sorts of rules that might apply and change the amount of time you have - AND there is a whole separate category of notice deadlines if the at-fault driver works for the government (what are known as ante-litem requirements).
The safest thing to do is to call an attorney and ask how long you have to take action on a given claim. I would be happy to answer any questions you have about this topic or any other injury related topic. I handle personal injury cases ONLY and my Atlanta injury law firm serves clients all over metropolitan Atlanta and throughout Georgia.
The statute of limitations is like a timer that starts ticking down to zero as soon as an injury occurs. When the timer reaches zero all your legal rights are extinguished. So it is imperative that you know how much time is left on the timer!
It works like this: The State of Georgia has laws on the books that restrict the time an injured person has to file a lawsuit against the person who caused the injury. For example, let's say you have been injured by a drunk driver and your injuries are limited to "injuries to the person." Under Georgia law you have 2 years from the date the drunk driver hit you to sue. If you or your attorney fail to file suit within 2 years you lose all your legal rights in connection with that injury. You either need to get your claim settled prior to the two year anniversary of your injury or file a lawsuit in advance of the end of the limitation period.
Like most things in the law, statutes of limitation can get complicated. Let's say you were badly injured in a DUI accident and your spouse suffers as a result - for instance, you can't do the things around the home you used to do and your spouse has to take up the slack. That is called "loss of consortium" and is a valid item of damages. The statute of limitations on "loss of consortium" is 4 years - not 2 years. So some complications can arise when you have multiple claims all arising out of one incident.
There are all sorts of rules that might apply and change the amount of time you have - AND there is a whole separate category of notice deadlines if the at-fault driver works for the government (what are known as ante-litem requirements).
The safest thing to do is to call an attorney and ask how long you have to take action on a given claim. I would be happy to answer any questions you have about this topic or any other injury related topic. I handle personal injury cases ONLY and my Atlanta injury law firm serves clients all over metropolitan Atlanta and throughout Georgia.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Drunk Drivers Cause More Accidents And Injuries Around Holidays
DUI driver arrests around Atlanta rise around the holidays. Tragically many of the arrests occur only AFTER someone is injured or killed in an alcohol related accident.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, across the United States during 2007, 12,998 people were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. These alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for 32 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States.
That means nearly one-third of those who died in traffic accidents in our nation during 2007 died at the hands of a drunk driver. Those 12,998 deaths represent an average of one person losing their life to a drunk driver every 40 minutes. What a national tragedy.
Every one of those deaths was preventable - they could easily have been prevented.
Please be careful this holiday season. There are some common sense precautions you can take during Christmas and the New Year period to stay out of harm's way.
First, in 2007 the rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes was four times higher at night than during the day. So stay off the roads at night as much as possible.
In 2007, 15 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-impaired, compared to 31 percent on the weekends. Try to do your driving during the week and stay off the roads on weekends, when the number of drunk drivers peaks.
Finally, keep your children at home! In 2007, 15 percent of child traffic deaths occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. This statistic is sure to be higher when you consider only the winter holiday season.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of a drunk driver, please contact our Atlanta accident injury law firm and ask to speak to me, Attorney Peter Pearson. I will do whatever I can to help you.
Sources -
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.6a6eaf83cf719ad24ec86e10dba046a0/
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, across the United States during 2007, 12,998 people were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. These alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for 32 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States.
That means nearly one-third of those who died in traffic accidents in our nation during 2007 died at the hands of a drunk driver. Those 12,998 deaths represent an average of one person losing their life to a drunk driver every 40 minutes. What a national tragedy.
Every one of those deaths was preventable - they could easily have been prevented.
Please be careful this holiday season. There are some common sense precautions you can take during Christmas and the New Year period to stay out of harm's way.
First, in 2007 the rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes was four times higher at night than during the day. So stay off the roads at night as much as possible.
In 2007, 15 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-impaired, compared to 31 percent on the weekends. Try to do your driving during the week and stay off the roads on weekends, when the number of drunk drivers peaks.
Finally, keep your children at home! In 2007, 15 percent of child traffic deaths occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. This statistic is sure to be higher when you consider only the winter holiday season.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of a drunk driver, please contact our Atlanta accident injury law firm and ask to speak to me, Attorney Peter Pearson. I will do whatever I can to help you.
Sources -
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.6a6eaf83cf719ad24ec86e10dba046a0/
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