Tractor Light
I was rear-ended by a tractor trailer while stopped at a light. My car was totalled, luckily I wasn't hurt.
No broken bones or anything like that. It's been 3 months and I still have a "crick" in my neck that the dr. still says is whiplash. My car has been taken care of but I haven't settled on the medical (which isn't much) or anything. Everyone tells me to sue. Well, I don't want to b/c I don't see a need to take advantage. However, I still have this neck problem and the accident was without a doubt the trucks fault and I'm sure I could get whatever I wanted. How much of a settlement do you think is FAIR. Fair being the key word. Again, I am not looking for "easy money" here. I just want opinions on what compensation you would be comfortable with if it were you.
what do you mean "OWED"? Besides medical, 2 days off work, and just the hassle of having to get a new car when mine was perfectly find and paid for. How do you put a price on hassle and inconvenience?? I don't feel I'm OWED like a million dollars, even though with todays courts I could probably get it. I need AMOUNTS here....
You are a rare breed. Most people run to a lawyer before they even see a doctor. I assume the truck insurance is paying for the claim so , yes, you are entitled to a cash amount for pain/suffering and the hassle of going to doctors, missing work and feeling like crap for a few months. Lawyers don't have some magic formula to calculate such things -- they just use tactics to maximize the claim, i.e; keeping you in a chriopractors office for two years and dodging phone calls from the insurance company and posturing as if he is really going to take this to trial. Bull. At least 95% of all represented cases are settled days, if not hours before court, usually for peanuts over what the insurer offered as a good settlement. It's like this -- lawyers only work for themselves 100% of the time and the longer they can keep you in 'treatment' the more med bills pile up, (which the insurance company won't pay because you have now hired a lawyer). After it's all over you get another suprise -- the lawyer takes 33% of your settlement, leaving you with what's left and a big pile of chrio bills. One more note: an insurance policy isn't a bottomless well, once the policy limits have been reached the money stops. Bottom line is only you can determine what is fair (and you sound like a stand-up guy) so get well and get some cash for your trouble and tell the adjuster you have every intention of working WITH him vs against.