Car accidents are common. The figures are earth-shattering – at least three million crashes every year. With too much at stake, victims must file for a claim, either with their insurance company or that of the other drivers. Many people shy away from hiring professional lawyers because they believe that lawyers are expensive.
Most people do not know that when you speak to a St. Petersburg Car Accident Lawyer for the first time, it is usually free of cost. Most professional accident lawyers accept their fees after their clients get their claims settled by the insurance companies.
How to File a Car Accident Compensation Claim?
Nonetheless, if you have chosen to go alone and on your own, you need to follow these steps to get a justified claim settled.
Assess the damage to your car. The first step is to inspect your car to get an estimate of the damage. If you have no experience, get an experienced person to do so.
Assess your injuries and estimate the same. You will have your medical records and bills to get an estimate of what you have already spent on your treatment. Under this subhead, you need to mention the future expected expenses too. It could be a bit difficult calculating all of this and putting a sum. With an experienced lawyer, this step can become easier and convenient.
It would help if you also tuned in financial losses resulting from a loss in work.
The next stage is after filing your claim application. The insurance company will send over their insurance adjusters to assess the damage and make an estimate. Even if the adjusters seem friendly, they are obligated to keep the costs of the insurance company low in their hearts. Therefore, they will try all tricks under the sun to pressurize you to accept and settle for a lower amount than you originally estimated. There will be some amount of negotiation, too, and you need to be extremely careful and cautious.
If your insurance company is pressurizing you to accept a lower claim amount, you need to put in your demand letter. In this letter, you need to present your side of the story. Tell the insurance company why you deserve a higher value. Ensure to present all medical records, car repair bills, etc., as pieces of evidence.
Now, the insurance comes with a counter-offer. If not, they will negotiate hard with you. It is time to keep your cool and not panic. If your evidence is in place and you are sure about your claim, stick by it. You may now decide to go to court.
Many insurance companies will agree to an out-of-court settlement – so, you might want to consider the same. If not, ensure to prepare your case with due diligence. Your records and evidence have to be intact and enough to prove your case. Also, take into account the expenses that you would need to bear additionally.
The Final Word:
Yes, you can get a claim settlement without a lawyer. There are lots of ifs and buts in this, though. With a qualified and licensed St. Petersburg car accident lawyer, you have a better chance to get a fair claim settlement.
I enjoy writing and I write quality guest posts on topics of my interest and passion. I have been doing this since my college days. My special interests are in health, fitness, food and following the latest trends in these areas. I am an editor at Content Rally.
Accidents are inevitable. They just happen, no matter how cautious you are, the other drivers will not do the same. You need to keep in mind that even if you do not drive a vehicle, you can be a part of an accident. What you can do, however, is to know your rights in an accident. You need to know the dos and don’ts and what should be expected of you and the consequences of your actions. The best place to know all about your legal rights is through a legal firm Bellevue car accident attorney is one of the best in the market for such situations. Apart from a law firm, here are a few legal rights you should be aware of when you get into an accident.Know What To Do When You Get In An Accident:
1. Call The Police:
Most authorities necessitate that you make a report of car accidents including injuries or property harm. In any occasion, you will probably need the accident to be reported to help later with the insurance-related procedure. If you were not to blame for the mishap, getting a police report can help validate your case and may likewise give valuable evidence down the line.2. Make Sure Everyone is Ok:
Check if any of the people involved in the accident are alright or need medical attention. Notice the accident scene to see if any hazards could bring on additional damage, for example, spilling gas or electric sparkles. Call for help promptly if there are any wounds.3. Talk To The Other Driver:
Get the other driver’s name, address, driver's license number and license plate number. Likewise, record a description of the vehicle and request to see their insurance card with the goal that you can use this information later. Try not to talk about the reason for the mishap or apologize as these statements can be utilized against you.4. Take Pictures:
Take photos of the area of the accident. Make sure that you take pictures of the following:
- The area of the accident and position of the vehicles
- The damage to your vehicle and the damage to the other vehicle involved in the accident
- Evidence of debris on the roadway
- Injuries if any and other things you think might be important.5. Look For The Witnesses:
Assess the scene and decide whether there are any observers. Request the observer's contact info and ask them to remain at the scene to state what happened. Check for any surveillance cameras close by that may have caught the accident, for example, a traffic camera or a camera from a close-by business.6. Be Polite:
Even though it can be easier said than done, be polite. You should not lose your temper and say things that can be used against you in court. You should never under any circumstances ever threaten the other party.7. Legal Actions:
Last but not least, you should always get a lawyer on your side to handle everything – from insurance to damage claims, from court case to talking to the witnesses and looking for pieces of evidence, they will take care of it all. Make sure that you do not lie to the legal authorities or everything in your favor will backfire and you might end up in jail instead of roaming around freely.
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This is a question that most people in the initial stages of the divorce process will ask. The best answer is; it depends on your particular situation. But in this post, we will take a look at how long the process should take and what you can do to speed it up brought to you by Goodman Ray.
The Myths vs. Reality:
58% of people polled think that it takes years to complete a divorce. But this is normally far from the truth. It is realistically possible to complete the process in as little as four to six months. Uncontested divorces, in particular, don’t take too long to complete since it is often only a matter of filing the paperwork correctly.It is, however, important to note that while the process of ending a marriage can be completed quickly, other processes can take longer. This is true if the couple struggles to resolve matters like finances and matters pertaining to their children.Dedicated Divorce Centers:
In the past, divorce petitions were filed at the local county courts and checked by district judges, which was time-consuming. To streamline the process and allocate resources more effectively, this system was recently replaced. Now there are 11 dedicated regional divorce centers whose main task is to process these legal separations. Therefore, if the toy is petitioning for a divorce, you ate required to send your documents to the nearest divorce center. Here, the documents will be processed by legal advisers instead of judges.This new system is aimed at speeding up the first two stages of the divorce process. It is, however, worth noting that you’ll still have to wait 6 weeks and a day to get the decree nisi.
How to Speed Up the Divorce Process:
Despite the fact that the time it takes to get a divorce can vary, there are several things you can do to speed up the process. The following are just some of the best;If possible, try to get an agreement from your spouse on the reason for filing the divorce petition. If they don’t agree and decide to contest the divorce, the process could take longer than you want.
It is also very important to make sure that you file the paperwork on time. This is true for both the respondent and the petitioner. This helps to minimize the wasted time that could add unnecessary time to the process.
Also, ensure that you don’t make any mistakes when filling the paperwork. Mistakes can also cause significant delays of anything from 6 t0 8 weeks. This is because you may have to redo the paperwork. It is advisable to get legal help when completing the form to ensure there are minimal errors.Getting Started:
The biggest delay in the divorce process often comes at the very beginning of the process, even before either party has filed the petition. This is because most couples, about 76% try to solve the problems in the marriage rather than seek a legal separation. The average couple will spend up to 18 months trying to keep their marriage from breaking down.Getting a divorce is no doubt one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make and it does require bravery. A survey found that 11% of people will hold back from getting divorced because of the stigma around it. The average person may take up to 2 years thinking about getting a divorce rather than just taking the first step.
Finances and Arrangements for the Children:
Even after you have your decree absolute, the divorce process itself may not be over. Certain matters including finances and arrangements for the children can complicate the process. Choosing to go to court to resolve these issues can cost you a lot of time and money. It is often a good idea to seek other means of resolving them such as mediation and collaborative law. A prenuptial or a postnuptial agreement can also help.Read Also:How To Get A Cheap Divorce In Texas
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After World War II, America became a global leader of commerce and saw an incredible boom in the prosperity of its citizens. This was fueled, in large part, by the building of infrastructure and the rise of the middle class in our country. Over a 50-year period, beginning in the 1950s, the United States invested billions of dollars into its infrastructure by building roads, airports and schools that were innovative and ambitious and that literally paved the way for one of the most impressive stretches of growth experienced by any nation in global history.
This small bit of U.S. history is vital to understanding a major problem we currently face. The ambitious undertaking of building America’s infrastructure has slowly become a serious economic challenge. There is a seemingly endless stream of news reports and columns devoted to the daunting task of fixing all parts of our infrastructure, including our roads, bridges, airports, oil lines, water lines and waterways. But we don’t have to look to newspapers or scholarly essays about the challenges posed by our aging infrastructure. We experience it on a daily basis, from the potholes that cause tire blowouts to the corroded service lines that have unleashed dangerously high levels of lead and caused upheaval in a number of communities across our nation.
There has been much effort devoted to examining the challenges, the costs and the need for fixing our infrastructure. Let’s break down just a few of the categories to get a better perspective on what we need and why we need it.Roads -
Our roadway infrastructure, which includes highways, interstates and local roads, received a “D” grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers. Fixing our infrastructure will be costly, and the fact that federal funding accounts for only a small percentage of road funding is a reflection of the fact that our crumbling roads impact us at a very local and personal level.
The costs come in the form of stretches of roads plagued with structural deficiencies that cause our vehicles to break down and roads whose initial design, while once adequate, now fails to keep pace with the traffic they currently need to accommodate. For example, think of the long list of cities that experience incredible congestion on a daily basis or the potholes which are left unattended on our neighborhood roads.
Read also: Experts Recommend: Top Interior Design Trends for 2017Bridges -
The ASCE actually gives our bridges a “C+” grade, which - believe it or not - is one of the three highest grades given to 16 categories graded by the organization. Even though it is graded slightly higher than other sectors of our infrastructure, it is still in dire need of repair.
The cost to drivers also comes in the form of breaks in surfaces and inability to accommodate traffic flow, but perhaps more alarming is the possibility of collapse. Another important statistic before we move on to the next category: One out of every 10 bridges in the United States is structurally deficient.Pipelines -
While our roads and our bridges are often several decades old, many of the pipes used in the United States are even older. It is not uncommon for certain systems to have been built over a century ago, long before we knew just how dangerous the materials used would become for future generations.
Two examples highlight our challenges in this particular area. First is the lead contamination of our drinking water that has caused lead poisoning of communities across the country. The ASCE’s latest report card gives our drinking water infrastructure a “D” grade. The costs, they say, could be up to $1 trillion over the coming decades.
The second example is frequent gas line explosions, one of which occurs, on average, every other day in the United States, as reported by USA Today. Our energy infrastructure gets a “D+” grade from the ASCE.Airports -
Just like many other structures in the country, our airports are struggling to meet the demands of more passengers and higher volumes of traffic. The average airport in the United States is around 40 years old, and our country is struggling to fund the maintenance of these facilities, even as other countries are making available significant investments to improve their airports.
The ASCE gives our airports a “D” grade and points to the Federal Aviation Administration’s estimated cost of congestion and delays at roughly $22 billion. The investment needed to modernize and fix the infrastructure of our airports is even greater, over $75 billion, according to the Airports Council International-North America.Schools -
One of our biggest challenges is fixing the infrastructure which accommodates our young people. The majority of our schools were built for the baby boomer generation, according to the ASCE, who gives our school infrastructure a “D” grade. It will cost around $270 billion to modernize and maintain these facilities.
The aging school buildings present a number of threats for children and teachers alike. Old water lines carry contaminated water into several school systems across the United States, and structural deficiencies also make these buildings hazardous to students. Yet another danger is the presence of asbestos in school buildings. Any school building constructed prior to 1980 is likely to have asbestos. Once asbestos deteriorates or becomes airborne, it can cause serious complications to those who are exposed to it, including lung cancer or mesothelioma.Meeting Our Challenges
The costs of fixing our infrastructure are great, but the costs currently being suffered by Americans are already taking a significant toll. We are paying for the challenges we face in ways that go way beyond tax dollars and construction projects. Unfortunately, we are paying the price through injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
The same country that built these incredible stretches of roads, bridges, and pipelines is also capable of repairing them, despite the large price tag that comes with such a task. When we consider what we need to do to move forward in this country, let’s not forget about the actual roads that lay in front of us. Ignoring this responsibility will not just place a burden on future generations -- it is a burden we are already carrying.
The Law Offices of John R. Colvin focus primarily in the areas of Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Workers’ Compensation, and Social Security Disability. They represent clients in the Tennessee Valley region, including Tennessee and Alabama.
