Information and Insight for Injured Iowans

Somehow the powers that be in the media find time to dig up the “crazy” lawsuits and imply (or outright announce) how awful  & common such lawsuits are and how they are going to jack up your insurance rates.   Never mind the truth is that such lawsuits are as rare as the dodo bird - they are kicked out of court, settled for peanuts, appealed, and never heard from again but the media doesn’t report this as it’s not as entertaining.   On the whole, Plaintiffs’ verdicts are less common and the amounts awarded are on average lower than ever.     Never mind insurance companies are raking in record profits.

Simultaneous to the media’s so-called reporting of “crazy” cases we are inundated with auto insurance ads about how wonderful your post-accident experience will be and how great you will be taken care of by the insurance company.   This combination of messages fosters a well-designed atmosphere of compliancy.  You think everything is going to be “OK” – if Heaven forbid – you are in an auto accident.   Given the messages put out by the powers that be - it’s somewhat understandable.   But you ought to do a little research, listen to the other side and makes sure what you are being told and sold is accurate  -  before it’s too late.

If you don’t, this myth will likely be shattered only when you or a loved one are in an auto accident.    For example, right now, I’m trying to help a young, hard-working gal who was broadsided by another car.   Our potential client had a green arrow and the other guy ran a red light before he hit her.    Despite this fact,  the very large insurance company’s adjuster told our gal she was 30% at fault and therefore he would only pay her 2/3 the value of her car.    Of course, when I called the adjuster he had yet to talk to any witnesses, he hadn’t contacted the policeman who issued his insured a citation, he hadn’t looked at the intersection, taken any measurements, or done any calculations.   In any other business this would be called “not doing your job”.   Not here though because his job is to pay as little money as possible – apparently this includes the use of jumping to conclusions or just plain ol’ makin’ it up as you go along.

If the public continues to blindly accept the media’s portrayal and the insurance companies’ sales pitch then - without question - the public will continue to realize they have been had – but the realization will come too late – and only one by one after these individuals have had the misfortune to suffer an accident, after they have been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous adjuster, and before they contact one of those lawyers that file “crazy” lawsuits.   You better believe there are folks out there banking on the fact that you will keep eating the spoon-fed message, you won’t do your homework, and by the time you realize there is a problem it will be too late.