Pennsylvania Injury Law Report : Accident Attorney Philadelphia: Personal Injury Attorney Philadelphia (PA), Injury Lawyer Philadelphia - Kreithen Baron & Carpey

What's the first thing the other guy's insurance company representative will want from you after a car accident?  He'll want to take your recorded statement about the accident and your injuries.  He'll also want you to sign a medical authorization so that the insurance company can get all of your medical records all the way back to when you were in elementary school. He might even offer you money to settle your case, and in exchange he'll want a "full and final release."

Some  Pennsylvania accident victims are catching on. When the adjuster asks them for a statement, they turn it around on the insurance adjuster and ask if they can take the statement of the insured driver who was at fault . (Of course the insurance company won't allow that). 

One of my clients (who came to me after she got tired of the shenanigans of a State Farm investigator) told me that when the State Farm investigator started asking her about prior accidents and  injuries, she insisted upon knowing how much bodily injury coverage limits the State Farm insured carried. Now that's clever.

I have another client who told me when the Nationwide adjuster insisted that his car be repaired at a "certified" Nationwide repair shop, my client began asking what type of money on used parts Nationwide would save if the car was repaired at the "certified" repair shop as compared to another auto repair shop not "certified" by Nationwide. At that point the Nationwide adjuster backed off and explained that my client could get the car repaired where he wanted and Nationwide would have to pay no matter what the cost.

Here's the jingles we all hear on television and see in print media.

Allstate: "You're in good hands"

State Farm: "State Farm is there"

Nationwide: "Nationwide is on your side"

Geico has the gecko and the Neanderthal.

Progressive has the catchy TV commercials with Flo. All Flo promises is what the Progressive policy provides for; that is, what the insured paid for.

But, now more than ever consumers need to realize that these companies have no interest in protecting you following an accident. They are profit driven, nothing more and nothing less.

If you're not sure what to do if you've been involved in an accident and the insurance adjuster is knocking at your door, seek out the advice of a qualified personal injury attorney, whether it's our firm or another firm. There are plenty of good law firms in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas who handle personal injury cases. The point is, be smart. Don't rely on what the insurance company is telling you.

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I recently bought a tennis racquet online. I priced it out on tenniswarehouse.com, then bid on the same racquet brand new on ebay. I have not gotten it yet. I hope it works out. If it does, I saved about $30.00.

Obviously more of us are conducting business online.  This extends to insurance purchases, including casualty insurance and motor vehicle insurance.  Companies like Geico and Progressive operate online and in person.

But what does this mean for the consumer?  Certainly purchasing auto insurance policies online means you're going to get less information in the application process than you would  by speaking to a reputable insurance agent from whom you could at least ask questions about your insurance needs, including the necessity of buying uninsured motorist coverage(UM) underinsured motorist coverage(UIM), and the difference between limited tort, and full tort. If you've been to my web site, or read my book, you would know that UM and UIM, although not mandated by Pennsylvania law, are absolutely necessary coverages to protect you and your family from uninsured and underinsured drivers.  You would also know that limited tort is basically worthless coverage, and that the only smart choice is to purchase full tort coverage.

But in order to "waive" your ability to purchase UM and UIM, and in order to "waive" your rights to full tort coverage, Pennsylvania law requires that you sign "waiver forms." Otherwise your selections for less comprehensive coverage may be able to be invalidated. Recently enacted laws do hold that electronic signatures are valid. But the Pennsylvania law which controls the purchase of automobile insurance specifically requires signatures from the insured so that a knowing waiver of a prospective insured's rights are validated.  Therefore, although Geico and Progressive may be finding it more economical and, in fact, more profitable to be selling online, they may be opening the door to their insureds' challenging the validity or lack thereof of less expensive insurance coverage purchased online because of lack of proper signatures.

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