FAQ: The Top 5 Questions Our Clients Ask Before Hiring Our Firm

At Queen Yasmine Personal Injury Law, we represent clients who have suffered serious injuries as the result of an accident or someone else’s negligence. Here are the Top 5 questions our clients have before hiring our firm:

1) Do I Need a Lawyer after a Car Accident?

The short answer to this question is no, especially if your car accident does not involve injuries. If you were involved in an injury accident, however, we highly recommend talking with a lawyer. Unless you’re a skilled negotiator and have connections with top local doctors, you likely won’t be able to recover nearly the settlement you’d otherwise receive with a legal team backing your case. Hiring a lawyer after a car accident provides our clients with two primary benefits:

1. We are able to work with medical providers on matters like billing and care to ensure our clients can focus on recovery. The price of intensive chiropractic treatment can cost many thousands of Dollars. Our firm helps negotiate these rates, and can usually delay billing until treatment is resolved, or a client’s settlement has been reached. We can also refer our clients to some of the best doctors in California, ensuring our clients are treated properly for their injuries.
2. We reduce stress after an injury accident. After an accident, the last thing any of us wants to do is negotiate with an insurance company who is trying to get us to accept the cheapest settlement possible. Thanks to years of experience, our lawyers know what your case is worth, and will fight to ensure you receive just and fair compensation for your injuries. Again, we take care of the stress, so you can focus on recovery.

2) How Much Money Will I End Up with After a Car Accident Case?

The value of a client’s injury claim is determined on a case-by-case basis. There are several factors that need to be evaluated in order to come up with a proper figure, including:

Medical Costs

The number of visits and the type(s) of treatment(s) will determine the cost of medical bills. High medical bills will usually hold more weight for insurance companies reviewing your claim versus a one-time medical evaluation with no follow-up treatment.

Severity of Injury

The type of injury/injuries sustained could play an important role in the settlement amount. Third-party insurance companies evaluate whether the client suffered soft-tissue injuries if surgeries were recommended by doctors, if there were any broken bones if the client will need ongoing care, etc.

Property Damage

Insurance companies will take into consideration the damage done to your vehicle. For example, “fender benders” might be judged harshly by insurance companies due to a perception of low-level damage.

Third-Party Policy Limits

This is an important determinant. People choose different tiers of coverage when shopping for insurance in order to keep their costs down. A $15K third-party policy can only settle for that figure, not more. It’s important to note that not all third-party insurance companies tender the full policy.

Whether the Client has an Underinsured Motorist/Uninsured Motorist CoverageAfter receiving a settlement from the third party insurance company we sometimes discover the figure isn’t sufficient to cover a client’s medical costs. We then review whether the client has uninsured or underinsured coverage:

• Underinsured Motorist Insurance (UM): Under this policy, your insurance pays for injuries sustained by the negligent party, if that party has low policy limits (minimum liability insurance).
• Uninsured Motorist Insurance (UIM): This policy allows you to obtain compensation for injuries incurred by the at-fault party or a hit-and-run driver.

It’s a great idea for everyone driving on California roads to have a UM/UIM policy. This helps protect you if you’re ever involved in an accident with a person who has basic coverage, no coverage, or who leaves the scene of an accident.

3) What Do I Do with My ER/Hospital Bill?

At the time of your ER visit, use your health insurance or MedPay coverage to pay for the cost of treatment. If you do not have health insurance and you report to the hospital that you will be “self-paying,” you will need to pay your bill in full or set up a payment plan. If you avoid paying for your bill, it could end up going to a collections agency. We help our clients pay for medical bills by fighting against insurance companies to get our clients’ compensation. Without our help, third party insurance companies typically pay out the minimum compared to a settlement reached with the help of an attorney.

4) Can You Help Get My Car Repaired After an Accident?

We understand that most of our clients are worried about their car after an accident. However, we represent the injury component of a case. We cannot make official decisions for clients regarding repairing and/or replacing a vehicle. We can direct clients to their property damage adjuster to assist with property repair.

5) What Types of Cases Do You Handle?

We have taken on various personal injury cases including:

• Victims of severe car accidents. For example, when a victim is rear-ended at a traffic stop and the impact was hard enough the cause immediate pain and injuries.
• Slip and falls that have occurred on business or private property. For example, if a shopping center failed to notify its customers their floors were wet, and our client slipped, fell, and suffered injuries due to negligence, they would seek our representation.
• Victims who have suffered from dog bites. For example, a vicious dog that is unrestrained by its owner and attacks and bites you.

These are the top five most common questions asked of our San Diego injury law firm. Do you have a question that we can answer? Please give us a call or send an email to speak with a lawyer about your case!