You couldn’t have been having a better day if you tried. The kids got off to school without a hitch. HR just loved your new performance management proposal. A talkative lunch with another potential employer, who offered you a raise and the chance to “Grow with the company”. And then, on the breezy drive back to your office with dreams of big raises in your head – POW! You get rear-ended by some guy who can’t seem to find his insurance card – but he’ll get back to you, right away.
Forty-nine of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia, require that drivers actually carry proof of automobile insurance – at all times while driving a vehicle. So, unless this accident happened in New Hampshire, where state laws do not require auto insurance – the uninsured guy who hit your car does, indeed, have troubles.
If you’re both in Idaho, the most lenient uninsured motorist state, he’ll only have to pay a $75 fine. If the same accident happened in Delaware, the uninsured chap would pay a $2,000 fine and his license would be suspended for 6 months. If you’re both in Massachusetts, he could get 6 months in jail.
Protection from Irresponsible Drivers
So, okay, that’s what happens to him, but what about you? If you were sensible when you bought your auto insurance policy, then you will have purchased uninsured motorist insurance. Your insurance company will pay for your damages, usually up to the total liability amount that you are carrying on your general policy, usually $100,000 per-person, $300,000 per accident total.
If there are additional damages, for example if you suffer a major, debilitating injury, and the uninsured motorist who hit you has no assets which can be attached in a lawsuit, then you’re going to have to go after your insurance company for the difference.
Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney
Soft tissue injuries (STI) are when trauma or overuse occurs to muscles, tendons or ligaments. Most soft tissue injuries are the result of a sudden unexpected or uncontrolled movement like the jolt one receives when a passenger in a vehicle at rest is struck by another rapidly moving vehicle, often from behind. This type of trauma is commonly referred to as “whiplash” and generally involves the area around the neck and usually results in symptoms like severe headaches, along with neck and back pain.
The treatment of this type of injury can often require months, or even years, of physical therapy and is, thus, very expensive. That’s why you should be mindful of the possibility for long-term rehabilitation if this sort of health condition develops after an automobile accident.
You will need an attorney who is not only experienced in personal injury litigation, but also a law firm that has been in practice for several years, along with the prospect that this firm will continue operation well into the future. That’s why it’s important to choose a personal injury attorney like the Barnes Firm – one that has a long history of handling these types of cases and that knows the local jurisdictional minutiae.
Once you have your legal team in place and your health outcome goals identified, then it’s time to concentrate on the main thing – putting your life back together in as efficient and beneficial way as possible.
Becoming the Best Rehabilitation Patient You Can Be
The first thing you want to do on your road to recovery is to understand your injury as well as you possibly can. Think of yourself as an athlete who has to get back in the game after an injury, as soon as possible, to help her or his team go on to win a championship.
You’re going to become an expert on your particular injury, and, thus, the best judge of therapeutic results for each and every individual treatment. You need to partner with your physical therapist in the evaluation of every single physical exercise procedure. In the event of some therapy not working, which actually happens all the time, don’t be afraid to say so and suggest changes. Your healing regimen is going to be the best ever – by keeping it as goal-oriented as you possibly can.
We have all heard some of the incredible stories of people who were seriously injured and written off as invalids for the rest of their lives, only to come roaring back, even better than they were before. Football Quarterback Peyton Manning comes to mind. He was told he’d never play again but came back, after almost two years of rehab to win a Super Bowl. The same can happen for you if you just believe.
