Free Consultation
You might think that free consultation and free advice are the same thing but they are not. Each month I get numerous calls from individuals who have been involved in a motorcycle accident, car accident, scooter accident, bicycle accident or a pedestrian accident. This initial call to me is the “free consultation” during which I gather information about how the accident occurred, what injuries they may have sustained and the type of damage that they incurred to their vehicle. From that call, I generally tell them one of the following 3 things: (1) it would be in their best interest for me to represent them in connection with their claims with the insurance company at fault;(2) it is the type of situation they can handle themselves with the insurance company of the driver at fault; or (3) it is too early in the process to know if I think I can be of some help to them. Some of the situations that I hear about which leads me to believe the individual can handle the case themselves are the following: (1) Thankfully the individual was not injured in the accident and only has questions about the damage to their motorcycle, car, truck or scooter; and (2) the individual required minimal medical treatment (e.g., maybe just 1 emergency room visit or 1 family doctor visit) and their symptoms cleared up fairly quickly. In these types of situations, though, I will provide the caller with free advice (see below). What type of situation arises where it is too early to know if I can be of some benefit to the caller? For example, the individual has been injured in the accident, but they are not going to know the extent of their injuries until they go see their doctor or they have seen a doctor and the doctor wants to reevaluate their symptoms in a few weeks. So, if the individual’s symptoms actually clear up in a fairly short period of time, it could be the type of situation where they can handle the claim themselves. On the other hand, if their symptoms do not clear up in a relatively short period of time, then we have further discussions about how I can possibly help them in connection with their case.
Free Advice
Even if I do not end up representing an individual who is giving me a call about an accident, I will give them free advice on how to handle their claims with the insurance company. For me, it is a public service that I am happy to render. I know that it can be very intimidating to deal with an insurance company even on the smallest of claims. Plus, I know that dealing with an insurance claim is not something that most individuals have no experience. So, I will explain how their particular insurance claim works. I go over the time line and what information/documents the insurance company may need to evaluate their claim. On those occasions when the individual is having a hard time getting the insurance company to respond back to them I give them some tips on how to get the insurance adjuster to respond to them.
If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident, scooter accident, car accident, truck accident, bicycle accident, or pedestrian accident, and have any questions at all about how to deal with the insurance company, your rights, whether you even need an attorney, etc. call me directly at 919-942—1181. You can also send me an e-mail at garyrpoole@mindspring.com or fill out one of the contact forms on my website.