Car Accidents | InjuryBoard Vancouver

Read the fine print. Who hasn't heard that advice. Let's say you are injured in a collision. The other driver is at fault. Fortunately, they have insurance. You'd think the company would step up...

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If you live in Oregon, you automatically carry PIP insurance on your auto policy. Washington doesn't require it yet, but does require your agent have you sign off on a form if you decide to reject it. PIP insurance is a good thing to have. If you are in an accident and someone injures you, PIP pays for your medical bills and a portion of your wages while you are trying to recover. Some...

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If you live in Oregon, you automatically carry PIP insurance on your auto policy. Washington doesn't require it yet, but does require your agent have you sign off on a form if you decide to reject it. PIP insurance is a good thing to have. If you are in an accident and someone injures you, PIP pays for your medical bills and a portion of your wages while you are trying to recover. Some...

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The state of California Insurance Commissioner, Steve Poizner, announced on March 19, 2008, that his agency was ordering Allstate Insurance Corporation to reduce insurance rates in California by 15.9%. So what's the reason Allstate's rates are so high? So high that the California Insurance Commissioner has to order the company to reduce prices? Confirming what personal injury attorneys have...

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Capitalism is good. Profit is good. Free enterprise is good. It seems we all want to make money and we all want to pay less for the things we buy. If a company can sell the same quality item cheaper than their competitor, why shouldn't they? Especially if it means the competitor loses sales and they end up profiting as a result by selling even more of the discounted item. That's the way...

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Smart consumers purchase uninsured motorist coverage when they buy insurance for their car. With so many uninsured drivers on the road this coverage is a must. Not only are there more uninsured drivers on the road now than in the past, many who do carry insurance buy the cheapest coverage possible. Most states set thresholds for the lowest coverage you can purchase and still legally drive. ...

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Buried back on the 2nd page of the Metro section, the above story title appeared in the March 12, 2008 Oregonian Newspaper. Note it says fatalities, not injuries. Injuries, whether serious life threatening ones or merely something from which you recover, are separate numbers. So what type of hospital errors caused 24 deaths? All ones that were easily preventable. The article described some...

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Oregon is about to put an Initiative on the ballot that would limit contingent fees charged by attorneys. At first glance you'd think this is a good idea. Don't lawyers make lots of money? Why shouldn't we pass laws that limit what they can charge? Once again the usual urban myths are trotted out by the people who have the most to gain by proclaiming them. Do lawyers make a lot of money? ...

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It looks like Kevin Mannix and Bill Sizemore are at it again. The initiative process in Oregon is supposed to exist so the voice of the people can be heard. If citizens can gather enough signatures from registered voters, an indication many feel strongly about an issue, a measure can be put on the ballot. This grass roots process allowing citizens to bypass the legislature and have a voice...

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An interesting article in the March 2008 issue of Consumer Reports helps to once again dispel an urban myth. Lawyers and frivolous lawsuits are the reason health care costs keeps rising. The article notes over 60% of surveyed adults think this is true. The same survey showed 69% specifically thought it was due to frivolous lawsuits. Well guess what, neither is true. Not even close. Yet...

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After an injury accident, many consumers get demands from an insurance company that they be examined by a doctor of the insurance company's choosing. Laughingly referred to by the insurance industry as "Independent Medical Exams", many companies use these as a tool to limit insurance benefits. Insurance adjustors are trained to tell someone injured in a car accident that the exam is set up to...

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Many consumers when hurt by an uninsured motorist turn to their own company for help. When this happens, those that were prudent in purchasing uninsured motorist coverage are entitled to recover monetary benefits. The benefits are calculated by determining the value of the injury claim against the guilty driver. An evaluation of this nature can require quite a bit of expertise in tort law. ...

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Many of us carry uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage on our auto policies. With many accidents caused by drivers with little or no insurance, this coverage is a prudent item to purchase. What you pay for under this coverage is a monetary benefit. If you have this coverage and become injured by an uninsured bad driver, your company is essentially required to assume the role of the bad...

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A not entirely new practice by insurance companies is being used more and more lately. Oral releases. Calling up an injured consumer after an accident and asking if they want to settle over the phone. Insurance companies train adjusters to make immediate contact after an accident. Often before the injured party has called a lawyer or has any idea about their rights or the value of their...

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"I've never been in an accident before. I didn't know". This refrain is often heard by lawyers who specialize in helping people injured in auto accidents. It is sometimes heard after the lawyer finds out the client signed a comprehensive medical release sent to them by the insurance company representing the guilty driver. Insurance companies train their adjusters to make immediate contact...

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