Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 13:09:08 -0500
Reply-To: Tonya Pope <Tonya@TEAM-M.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tonya Pope <Tonya@TEAM-M.COM>
Organization: Team MainStreet Interactive, Inc.
Subject: Re: SCREWED by the ins. co.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
As everyone else is telling you, fight. I was in a similar accident 4
years ago and also could have easily been killed. The accident was
completely the other driver's fault, I saved my own life by
acting/driving defensively and swerving partially out of the way - he
was coming at me head on, each of us at 50mph. Our car we had purchased
used just 6 months before the accident for 6000. The first offer from
the insurance company was 2800. You can imagine how angry I was. We
still had a bank loan out on it and owed 4000. I fought and fought and
did get them up to 4800. I was still angry about their 1200
"depreciation" for 6 months, but we had put a lot of miles on it in that
6 months so I knew I wasn't going to get any more and at least I could
pay off the note.
The personal injury portion of the settlement was even more
infuriating. If I'm ever in an accident again, a lawyer will be my
first call as I refuse to deal with the rip-off agents ever again. I'd
rather have been hit by someone uninsured that to have gone thru that
torment. And it wasn't some fly-by-night insurance place. It was a
national carrier that EVERYONE would know. Something about good hands
... right, around your throat maybe.
The jerk I had to deal with cost the insurance company about 10k. I
didn't think I was hurt initially, but it hit 2 days later. I was
willing to accept just reimbursement for my costs initially. But they
were ugly. They stalled asking for records as the bill collectors were
harrassing me. Put me off and continually delayed everything while I
was going deeper and deeper into debt. At the 2k mark of bills, the guy
said "you just had a few bumps and bruises, nothing that we should have
to pay suffering on". I couldn't pick my one year old daughter up on
her birthday. So he made me mad and I sought further testing to see
what was really wrong. As it turns out, I had permanent nerve damage in
my left arm that still bothers me so I ended up being screwed in the end
but I just wanted it all over with. That actually was their plan.
Harrass me enough to get me to just settle for anything to be done with
it. To add insult to injury, because of the physical therapy
encroaching on official work hours (I worked 50+ hours a week, but
couldn't get there by 8 am all the time with therapy at 7), I was made
part-time by my employer just one week after I settled. I didn't ask
for any lost wages (despite having taken sick leave a few times because
of pain and/or treatment) so I again was screwed.
The only good thing that came out of the experience was that I bought my
vanagon. Never ever again will I deal with an insurance company. Call
a lawyer, their 1/3 cut is well worth it to just not have to deal with
it. Plus, you're more than likely going to get more in your 2/3rds than
you would have alone.
Good luck,
Tonya
87 Vanagon GL Wolfs
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