FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WHEN INVOLVED IN A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT.

Why do I need a lawyer in a motor vehicle accident?

The insurance company wants to pay injured people as little as possible. You  may not have a lawyer, but the insurance company has many lawyers. Their lawyers  have had trials in many motor vehicle accident cases, consequently, the deck is stacked against you, and you don’t know the rules.  You wouldn’t bet at  poker without knowing the rules. Don’t gamble that you will outsmart the insurance pros. It may seem like a cash offer is fair, but you don’t know the value of your case.  More likely, the opposite is true, the other adjuster does not get a promotion for giving away more money!

Should I give a statement to the insurance company?

Do not talk to the other person’s insurance adjuster about whose fault the crash was.  This might seem like a good idea, but lets discuss what happened so we don’t accidentally give them a good defense.

1. You should  give out your personal information such as address,  phone number, date of birth, and who owned the car.
2.  You should give out information on the damage to your vehicle.  Go to the dealer, if driveable and get a repair estimate.  Don’t trust the insurance adjuster to give you the full value of the repair.

Photograph your vehicle so that all  damage caused by the motor vehicle accident is shown before repair.  Insurance  companies love to claim that you could not be hurt if the car shows little or no damage.

Photograph  your body injuries.  Cuts and bruises will heal.  Photos of them can validate the pain and suffering caused by the motor vehicle accident.

If you hire Liberman Law Firm, what can you expect?

First,  you will  sign 2 documents:

1. Authority to represent you. You pay me a percentage of what I get for you. This is called a “contingency agreement.” The Missouri Bar  requires contingency agreements  to be written.  I receive 33.3% of the money I recover for you as my fee.  This increases  40% if we have to file suit. You don’t pay me if I don’t get you anything.
2. Authority to allow release your medical records. I will collect  records from each doctor or hospital who treats you.

Next, I will send those records to the insurance company,   with a letter.  The letter will state:

1. Why the injuries are the fault of the other driver who caused the motor vehicle accident.
2. The amount of your bills the doctor or hospital charged. The medical records your doctor wrote diagnosing your injuries. If you missed missed, work, the pay you lost.
3. That the motor vehicle accident caused you pain and suffering.
4. Most of all, I will  demand  settlement  money in an amount  you and I discuss.

Finally, if we receive an offer of settlement, I will advise you immediately.  Because your settlement is to make you whole for damages, your money is tax free, and therefore not income. After you and I discuss the offer of settlement,  you will tell me to accept or reject it. If you reject it, we will make a counter demand. There may be a higher offer from the insurance company. This cycle of demand  and offer will repeat until a deal is reached, or not be reached.  We file a lawsuit and head to court if no deal is reached.