Posts Tagged ‘car accident’

Workers Injured On the Job Are Being Spied on Through Social Media Outlets

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Insurance companies want to make a profit just like any other for-profit business. Before the onset of social media websites such as Facebook, one of the ways that insurance companies would deny benefits is to use video surveillance on injured workers. That way they could then show the worker was truly not as incapacitated as they were claiming to be.

As years go by insurance companies are now using social media websites such as MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, etc is what is your workers are doing while they are recovering. Some courts but even ordering plaintiff’s to give up their social media sites so they can be looked at by the attorneys from the insurance companies.

Insurance companies have been pretty smart about using the sites. That even been situations where an injured worker was selling items on craigslist and eBay and receiving income and this was actually noticed by the insurance companies. The insurance company could potentially then make that person ineligible for benefits of workers compensation.

A lot of individual so please do not understand just how much personal information there is on the Internet about yourself. The information is not password-protected in most situations and is in the public domain so it is able to be used by insurance companies. Facebook now has picture tagging so individuals can find you with just your name. See really be careful about your privacy settings on particularly that website.

Here are some steps to protect yourself from the prying eyes of the insurance carriers attorneys.

1. The predominant 1st line of defense is to ensure that nothing is out there she would not want your lawyer or your mother to see on any of your social media profiles.

2. Once a week put your name into the major search engines including Google, Yahoo, and being. And see what pops up. If you see anything that is unacceptable to you then you should go on make the adjustments or simply delete those social media accounts.

3. Be certain to look at the privacy settings on these social media accounts so that only your closest friends are allowed to see truly private content.

4. When you receive a “friend request” from someone who you maybe do not even know, either ignore those requests or send back an e-mail to find out who that person is. If you are involved in a lawsuit, keep in mind that the opposing team can find out a lot information about you on the Internet. They may send a fake e-mail trying to get even more information by giving you the impression that your friends. Be aware this may happen.

5. Set up your Facebook account so that e-mail is necessary before you will accept a new friend. Remember not to accept any friends you do not know personally.

Want to find out more about Phoenix personal injury lawyers, then visit the site of RJ Hurwitz Law ‘on how to choose the best Accident lawyers Phoenix for your needs.

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What Does the Term Diminished Valule Mean After an Auto Accident?

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

Annually in the United States a motor vehicle accident occurs every 10 seconds. This adds up to thousands annually of traffic accidents that occur in America. When the vehicle sustains damage during the crash, the end result is one that has diminished value. What does this mean?

Diminished value refers to an automobile having been an accident and suffering either physical damage, structural damage, or cosmetic damage. Even if that vehicle is fixed back to like new condition and it looks and drives no different than it was before the accident it still will not be worth as much as it was before the crash. The difference between what it was worth before the accident and fully fixed after the accident is due to diminished value.

If you doubt that diminish value actually exists try and sell your vehicle after an accident and see what happens. Most states require full disclosure of all accidents that occur to a vehicle. Most buyers want a vehicle that has never been in an accident and if it has it will receive less money simply due to the fact it was in one.

There are 3 types of diminished value when it comes to insurance claims. These are as follows:

1. Immediate diminished value: this refers to the resale value difference of the vehicle compared to what it was worth before the accident simply because it was involved in a crash.

2. Inherent diminished value: this refers to the loss of the market value of the vehicle from the accident. This is the most widely recognized and accepted type of diminished value.

3. Repair related diminished value: this involves the depreciated value of the vehicle because of either repairs that were done improperly or repairs that are incomplete or just not fixed. This diminished value is determined by looking at the overall quality of the repairs performed on the vehicle.

Nearly every state allows people to file a claim for diminished value after a car crash that was not their fault. Also if a person has uninsured motorist coverage you may be able to file a claim for this as well on his own policy. A 1st party diminished value claim is one person files with his own insurance company and they pay it. This coverage depends on that person’s own insurance. Third-party insurance claims are when the other driver was at fault so the at fault insurance company pays this.

Several factors determine how diminished value is calculated including the condition of the vehicle before the accident, the vehicle’s age, the undamaged value, the mileage of the vehicle, and whether or not there were previous accidents.

It can be tough to go after a diminished value claims on your own. An experienced personal injury attorney who has experience in diminished value can help you get the money you deserve. Make sure to reach out and hire one prior to the statute of limitations expiring in your state.

Want to find out more about personal injury attorneys phoenix, then visit RJ Hurwitz Law site on how to choose the best Phoenix personal injury lawyer for your needs.

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What Kind Of Lawyer Do Need In A Work Related Car Accident, Personal Injury Or Worker’s Comp?

Saturday, December 17th, 2011

A lot of individuals are involved in jobs that require the use of car while working. This means that they are at risk for having a job related automobile accident. If you sustain injuries in that accident and it is caused by somebody else’s fault, and along with a workers compensation claim you may also end up being entitled to a third-party liability claim. Keep in mind though that you are not allowed to sue a coworker or your employer for any job related injuries sustained in an accident.

Once the auto accident on the job is sustained be certain to follow to the letter the workers compensation claim filing. You need to notify employee about the injuries sustained in writing, and then you have to go wherever your slowly decides for the initial injury care. This also entails filling out a compensation claim form that begins the claim process. Even if something else was at fault for the accident you should start the workers compensation claim process is that we can get immediate medical and compensation benefits.

You may already be aware of this, but the liability claim with the asphalt insurance company may not resolve for years. You will need to complete your treatment and get to a point of what’s known as maximum medical improvement in order to gain the highest settlement that you can. You should definitely work with a personal injury attorney who also has familiarity with workers compensation law in your particular region.

If the attorney is knowledgeable in both personal injury law as well as workers compensation law, it may be possible in that state for the workers compensation insurer to pay medical bills rather than needing the settlement monies from the personal injury case to pay for those. This would essentially be money out of your pocket paying for your medical bills. Make sure to ask the personal-injury attorney whether or not you should be seeing a physician who is on your workers compensation provider list.

Keep in mind that if you have a workers compensation claim along with a personal injury lawsuit, the workers compensation carrier is legally entitled to share the money that you get from liability insurer. The term for this is a subrogation lien. Still though it is better for the injured individual to have both claims going. It is actually not unusual for an individual to have two attorneys, one working on each case. It would be better however if one attorney had experience in both to streamline things.

Want to find out more about the best car accident attorneys Phoenix, then visit RJ Hurwitz Law site on how to choose the best Phoenix personal injury attorneys for your needs.

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