Washington updates tagged with 'Uninsured Motorist Claims'

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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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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Dr. Jayant Patel, a former Kaiser surgeon in Portland was front page news on March 13, 2008 in the Oregonian Newspaper. The surgeon nicknamed "Dr. Death" was wanted in Australia for manslaughter charges, all arising out of his bungling care of patients. Manslaughter, for the uninformed, means someone has to die as a result of his actions. The real story here however is how easily this doctor...

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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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Many purchase uninsured motorist coverage on their auto policy. This is a prudent practice given the number of uninsured drivers on the road. Uninsured motorist coverage provides benefits in the amount they injured person would have been able to recover from the uninsured driver. Medical bills, wage loss, pain and suffering and loss of the quality of life are recoverable. The public policy...

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Who among us doesn't remember our father saying "don't buy a car that's been in a wreck, you just buy somebody else's problems". Sometimes the best advice is old advice. Would anyone pay the same amount for a car that suffered major body damage as one that didn't? Although some body repair experts claim they can repair a vehicle to pre-accident condition, this claim hasn't been accepted by...

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