Unfortunately, people sometimes like to take the cheap route rather than the safe route.  Such was the case for a professional truck driver who was hit a few months ago by an uninsured motorist.

The big message from BenGlassLaw in recent months has been a major warning about not skimping on your under- and uninsured motorist coverage when you purchase a car insurance policy.

Well, this truck driver didn’t even have the opportunity to opt out on his own from getting the best coverage possible.  It was the choice of his boss.

Because his boss wanted to save a few hundred dollars a year, this truck driver will suffer the consequences.

What can you learn from this?  Ask questions of your employer when it comes to these things and make sure that they are acting in your best interest.  Send them to this article and the above video.  Don’t let yourself be the victim of a cheap insurance policy.  And if you are the boss of professional drivers, don’t play games with the cost, since millions costs more than hundreds.

The all-new How Law Works podcast featuring Fairfax, Virginia, attorney Ben Glass as its resident legal expert has just produced a podcast on what to do if you’ve been in a car accident.  You can find it on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to future episodes of How Law Works.

Dealing with the insurance adjuster and figuring out the problematic paperwork can be tricky for someone who is not sure how to handle the aftermath of a car accident.  Attorney Glass has produced a book for Virginia consumers on how to deal with these very issues, which you can order for free at TheAccidentBook.com.

You’ll learn how to prevent wrecking your accident claim and what tricks to look out for from insurance companies.  It’s important to be prepared for the potential of a car accident.  Of course, if you have been in a car accident and need advice on how to handle the claim, you can send your questions to the office of Ben Glass by contacting him on his website or by making an inquiry through JustAskBenGlass.com.

You get a phone call from the insurance adjuster and they have some news for you that sounds like this: “We will not be paying your claim because you were contributory negligent.”

Chances are, there will be question marks floating above your head.  Just what is contributory negligence in Virginia?

First off, Virginia is one of the few states that recognizes contributory negligence.  What it means is that if you were in any way negligent in regards to the cause of your accident, you are at risk to lose your claim from the other driver’s insurance altogether.

What does this mean for you?  For one, it means that you want an excellent attorney representing you.  They can help make you navigate the tricky process required for you to receive the best compensation possible for your accident.

It also means that you should be wary when contacted by the other driver’s insurance company.  They will want to take a recorded statement from you and are certainly prepared to use any kind of slip-up against you.  After all, they are in it to protect their client and themselves.

If you have been injured in a car accident in Virginia and are concerned about the issue of contributory negligence, contact Fairfax attorney Ben Glass with any questions you may have.

You may often hear people claiming that there is a magic formula that you can use in order to determine the value of your personal injury case.  It may be “you multiply the total bills by three” or something similar.  Of course, this all sounds good to someone who may have been in a recent car accident.  We all want to know that we are somehow guaranteed some money.

Unfortunately, this is just not the case.

Insurance companies are not going to settle every case the same way and cases that go to trial have a whole group of people, the jury, to decide their compensation.  They will listen to the entirety of the evidence from both sides and make a judgement from there.

Also, listening to national cases that occurred in other states to determine the value of your case is a poor barometer of the truth.  If you feel the need to guess at your case’s value, you would be better served by looking up recent results in the area of the state in which you live.

Fairfax, Virginia, attorney Ben Glass has more information for legal consumers who want to know more about this topic.  Go learn more about the myth of the “magic case value formula” and to watch a video he prepared about the subject.

This may be a surprising topic for a lot of people.  You don’t really expect that you’ll ever be spied on by an insurance company after an accident.  However, you would be mistaken.

This practice is used to shield insurance companies from people who claim to have been injured in a more debilitating way than is the truth.  While you may react with disgust at this idea, remember that they are just making sure that your statements to them match with reality.

If have been in an accident and tell the insurance company that you are unable to do certain things in normal life, then you had better not be able to do those things.  For more information, read the video transcript below from Fairfax, Virginia, attorney Ben Glass.

Ben Glass: “Today, I would like to answer the question of; will my insurance company spy on me once I start my case? We see this both in our personal injury practice and in our disability practice. Companies like Hartford frankly are pretty famous for this.

The Hartford does it a lot and a lot of the car insurance companies will do it in a serious case once your lawsuit has been filed. So how can you avoid having your case destroyed by video surveillance? Well, the first thing is you have to be brutally honest with your own insurance company and with your lawyer about what the extent of your activity level is.

See the people who have their cases destroyed by video surveillance tend to be the people who are exaggerating what they can and can’t do, or who are out right lying about their activity level and the extent of their injury. So, that’s really rule number one and probably all of the rules. If you’re involved in a disability case and you get from Hartford or (00:01:06) or Prudential in activities questionnaire where they ask you to chart your activities for the week, that’s a pretty good clue in our experience that they’re going to be attempting video surveillance with you.

They’re going to compare what you write in your activities chart with what they catch on video. If Hartford wants to do a field visit and sit down with you in your house or your attorney’s office, typically that means they are already do have you on video surveillance. So, again if you’re telling your insurance company or telling the defense lawyer in a personal injury claim, that you can’t go out and do shopping, you can’t lift certain amounts, you can’t work on consecutive days, and they catch you on a video doing any of these things, yeah that’s going to destroy your case, but it’s not because of what they’ve done, it’s because of your misrepresentation as to your activity level.

As with everything you should discuss this with your own attorney, get his or her advice on how to best handle your own case.”

The less money they give you, the more money they make. Insurance companies are out to make money. Although adjusters may seem friendly and give the impression that they are trying to help you get as much money as possible, remember that they do not get ahead in their careers without giving you the least amount of money possible for your particluar claim.

Hiring a Lawyer is not what the Insurance Companies want you to do. They will tell you things that they wouldn’t dare say to an attorney, because they know that no experienced lawyer would believe it. If you hire an attorney, insurance companies know that in the you will get more and they will retain less.

Adjusters for Insurance Companies are very skilled. They will attempt to play you and make you feel like the offer they have given you is the best you can expect to get. They will pretend as if they don’t care whether you accept their offer or not. Insurance Companies will act as if it does not matter to them if the case goes to court. Remember, they DO want to settle your claim out of court, regardless of how they act.

You may be eligible to receive compensation for things you don’t even realize, such as prescriptions, damage to things inside your car, the loss of your car, and mileage to doctors appointments. There are many things that your insurance adjuster probably will not inform you of. They will work as diligently as possible to get you to sign the documents and get your particluar case closed so they can move on to the next unsuspecting customer.

Insurance companies are in the business of gaining interest on every dollar they have. The longer your claim drags out, the more money the Insurance Company gains in interest on your settlement. So unless they can settle the claim inexpensively, they will try to drag it out. Insurance companies will always try to pay you the least amount of money that they can get away with. With the help of a personal injury attorney you will be equipped to get w3hat you deserve.

Insurance Adjusters will make you feel as if you are making a mountain out of a mole hill. It is important to remember that you are the victim and you are the one suffering the pain. Make sure you know your rights and how to go about making sure that you receive what you are entitled to.

Driggs, Bills, and Day are Utahs personal injury attorneys. For over 18 years they have been helping people who have been injured in car accidents, trip and falls, dog bites and wrongful death cases. The Utah Advocates can be found at http://www.utahadvocates.com

Often, Fairfax, VA, attorney Ben Glass comes upon a bit of news that is needed by every insurance and/or legal consumer.  In the past he has uncovered the $900,000 of coverage that you may have been cheated out of on your car insurance and has shed light on the sometimes shady doctor-lawyer referral system that you have to avoid.

This time, Ben is calling out Allstate auto insurance for their practice of delaying your claim settlement.

The insurance giant will wait on your claim and then send you a letter asking for “codes” on your insurance form that are unneeded in any legal proceedings.  This little bit of misdirection is just intended to put the brakes on your claim as you sift through the information for unnecessary information.

When presented with obstacles by the insurance company, don’t just accept the face value of the statement.  Consult a legal expert (definitely check out JustAskBenGlass for any legal questions or find the answer to your question at BenGlassLaw) and get to the bottom of the problem.

In the meantime, before you are stuck navigating the tricky tactics of Allstate and other insurance companies, order the free consumer report Five Deadly Sins That Can Wreck Your Accident Claim by Ben Glass.  It can save you from some undeserved grief.

(This post is a continuation of Keep Your Insurance Rates Low in 2011 Part 1 and Part 2)

Here are some final miscellaneous tips on how to keep your insurance rates low in Virginia in 2011.

• Increase your deductible. By simply putting aside extra money to cover your deductible should an accident happen, you can save a tidy percentage on your premium.  Planning ahead financially and creating a “rainy day” fund will save you money in the long-run.
• Lower the coverage on older cars. Don’t over-insure vehicles that you won’t collect much money on in the event of an accident.  If the vehicle is particularly low in value, you may be able to effectively drop your collision insurance.
• Use the same insurer for home and auto. Most companies will offer discounts to customers who purchase more than one type of insurance from them.  Of course, you should also do your research to find out if you would save more by simply purchasing your auto insurance from a different company.

Here is a list of other potential reasons you may receive a discount on your auto insurance.

• Long-time customer.
• Owning more than one car.
• No moving violations or accidents in the last three years.
• Anti-theft devices.

You should always ask your insurance provider about their discount policies before purchasing an auto insurance policy.  Being a smart consumer is always a wise idea, so do your research and take the time to consult available sources.

Saving money on your insurance can be as easy as just asking for a discount for which you may already qualify.  Follow the above tips and you could keep your auto insurance rates low in Virginia in 2011.

It may be okay to ask your lawyer for personal advice on a good doctor or lawyer to see.  But should you accept your attorney’s direct referral to a doctor because it could help your accident bill?

Absolutely not.  According to Corey Malnikof, a local chiropractor, you should just “run away.”

Insurance companies keep track of the doctors used by patients of a particular lawyer.  If there’s a trend of clients using the same spinal doctor, orthopedist, or other medical professionals, your case could be weakened.  Malnikof gives excellent advice, reminding us that your relationship with your doctor should be patient-doctor and your relationship with your attorney should be client-attorney.  Blurring those lines is a bad idea.

Fairfax attorney Ben Glass describes the approach taken in court by the insurance company is there is a trend in the numbers of attorney clients who are also patients to a particular doctor through referrals.  Glass describes this situation as the “kiss of death” to your case.

Insurance companies know about these scams.  They will find ways to discredit your case in court.

Unfortunately, even an innocent-sounding referral could doom your settlement.  Do your own research as a consumer and make sure that there isn’t a fishy-smelling relationship between your lawyer and your doctor.

If it ever seems like there is an “endgame” in play from your medical or legal professional, you may have found your way into a bad situation that could hurt your case.

For more information about Malnikof’s chiropractic services go to PalmerCare.com and for more information on personal injury law in Virginia, check out BenGlassLaw.com.

Welcome one and all to the New Year.  It’s 2011 and one thing likely hasn’t changed.  You’re still driving and you’re still paying for an auto insurance policy.  Maybe you’re paying more than you expected.

Well, now is the perfect time to reexamine your driving habits and to make a resolution to turn things around.

There are a number of basic steps that you can take to bring down your auto insurance rates in Virginia.  So what can you do starting today to make an impact on the necessary expense of auto insurance?

The best way to go about reducing the cost of insurance is to be a safe driver.  Here are some ways to stay safe:

• Stop texting while driving! Distracted driving has been acknowledged by some experts as being just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.  When you use your phone to text, you take your eyes of the road and become a danger to yourself and everyone else on the road.  Teenagers are especially vulnerable to this distraction, but adults are included in the bad habit.
• Never, ever drive drunk. This is common sense.  Spend the money to get a taxi or have a responsible friend serve as your designated driver.  The money for a taxi will seem like pennies compared to a hike in your auto insurance rates that lasts for years.  The consequences of drunk driving, of course, could be much more severe than financial.  Keep that in mind before you get behind the wheel after a night at the bar.
• Observe and obey the speed limit. Every speeding ticket you get costs you both now and in the future.  First, you have to pay the fine for speeding and then your insurance rates can increase which will cost you money in the future.  Follow the posted limits and leave a few minutes earlier to get to your destination rather than speeding.
• Avoid accidents. Again, this seems like common sense, but there are ways to avoid accidents that you can start today.  Don’t tailgate other drivers.  If they need to stop suddenly, you may find yourself scrunched up against their bumper and at fault for the accident.  Don’t unnecessarily merge.  Some drivers weave back and forth into tight spaces to try and get ahead in traffic.  This practice has not only been proven unproductive, it also puts you and others at risk as you squeeze into tight spaces.

In Part Two, we will examine off-the-road ways you can keep auto insurance rates low in Virginia.