Injured Money

Dan Karr

Published by Wish2Know

P.O. Box 10375

Bedford, NH 03110

http://www.wish2know.com

Smashwords Edition 1.3

Copyright 2013 Dan Karr

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to your favorite e-book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is available in print at most online retailers.

Injured Money (TM) is a trademark of Injured Money, LLC.

Cover Design by Edwar G. Martinez, El Salvador

Disclaimer:

This book expresses the author's opinion based on his personal experience which included serious personal injuries, physical and emotional pain, a lengthy recovery, substantial medical bills and hours of dealing with insurance companies, lawyers, adjusters and others. Although the insurance industry, lawyers, adjusters etc. are maligned in the press and social media, it is the author's opinion that there are honest, hard working and compassionate people and companies out there who can be persuaded to do the right thing when presented with the facts. It is the author's hope this book will be a tool that will help you achieve a better result.

The author does not make any implied or specific warranty or guarantee of any type with regard to the validity of any information contained herein. The information contained herein is provided to assist the reader in determining how to manage a claim or lawsuit against an insurance company. Laws, statutes and procedures change based on the state governing the event, the locality of the event, the insurance company or companies involved and when the event took place.

The author does not advertise, recommend or suggest this book is a substitute for a lawyer, a financial planner or an accountant. For information on specific situations, professional help should be secured.

What People Are Saying About Injured Money

"Not only should every driver read Injured Money, but after reading it he/she should stow a copy in their glove box." Cal Opitz, accident victim, hit by a drunk driver

"If you drive a car, ride in a car, or walk on roads where cars drive, this book is a must read. Car insurance advertisements with talking animals may amuse you, but what goes on between insurers and injured people after an auto accident will amaze you." said Insurance Consumer Advocate Amy Bach, Co-Founder, United Policyholders

"Injured Money is a remarkable book based on the author's first hand account of a serious accident in which he suffered painful, life altering injuries and details his battle with lawyers, doctors, insurance adjusters to recover a very substantial amount of money. Whether you are a legal professional, in the medical field, a first responder, an insurance adjuster, or dealing with a personal injury yourself, this book is an invaluable tool full of insight." Tom Huppuch, Attorney

"I only wish this book existed when I had my accident.  I probably would not have hired a lawyer and I certainly would have been much better prepared to file my claim and win a larger settlement." Sandra Kelly, Auto Accident Survivor

"Every person who has insurance should be reading this book.  It’s not just about showing you step-by-step how to win claims, but it’s also about helping you make sure you have partnered with the right insurance company before that fateful accident occurs." Paul Ferguson, Retired Deputy Sheriff

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - From the Pavement to Injured Money

The Day That Changes Your Life

Chapter 2 - Immediate Actions Following an Accident

Chapter 3 - How to Avoid Losing Medical Coverage

Chapter 4 - What’s Your Claim Worth?

Valuing Your Claim

Could I Lose Money on a PI Claim?

Is the Claim Worth Filing?

The Inside Story - #1

Delays, Denials, Dishonesty and Deceit

My Auto Insurer Misquoted My Medical Records

My Medical Insurer Refused to Pay Medical Bills

Chapter 5 - What to Do if Your Insurer Stops Paying Medical Bills

Chapter 6 - How to Win Your Claim(s)

Step 1 - Immediate Actions to Move Forward

Step 2 - Preparing and Filing Your Claim with the Other Party

Step 3 - Negotiating Your Claim

Step 4 - Settling with the Other Party

Step 5 - Filing a Second Claim (UIM) with Your Insurer

Step 6 - Negotiating and Settling with Your Insurer

The Inside Story - #2

More Delays, Denials, Dishonesty and Deceit

The Attorney I Hired Played Me!

Chapter 7 - Lawsuits: Small Claims vs. Arbitration vs. Court

The Inside Story - #3

The Insurance Company’s Attorney Misquoted my Medical Records

Maximizing $$$’s, Minimizing Attorney’s Fees

Chapter 8 - Attorneys: Hiring, Compensating and Managing

Chapter 9 - Insurance Bad Faith

Chapter 10 - Why Insurance Companies Stopped Providing Insurance

Chapter 11 - What Consumers (You) Can Do

About the Author

Appendix A: Protect Yourself Before an Accident Occurs

Appendix B: Property Damage Claims When There is a Personal Injury

Appendix C: Accident Details Worksheet

Appendix D: Insurance Information

Appendix E: Medical Bills

Appendix F: Statute of Limitations & Small Claims Limit, by State

Appendix G: Glossary of Terms

End Notes

Chapter 1 – From the Pavement to Injured Money

What started with Emergency Medical Technicians moving my badly injured body from the worn pavement of an intersection into an ambulance concluded with me being awarded more than a quarter of a million dollars from auto insurance companies. What happened in between is a shocking story that every person in America needs to know. The grim reality is that consumers – like you and I – think we are protected because we have insurance. I found out the hard way that this is untrue and wrote Injured Money to not only expose how insurance companies behave when claims are filed, but to also help people who have either had an accident or just want to make sure they and their loved ones are protected.

This book is not just about helping someone fight, and win, big insurance claims like I did (and I will show you how to do that) but it’s also about helping people choose the right insurance company so that you and your family members are protected when an accident occurs. Looking back, I wish I knew what I know now on that fateful day I was lying on the pavement seriously injured. I am now passing that experience forward to you so that you have the knowledge and the know-how to buy the right insurance today and win big claims in the future in the event that you are involved in an accident.

While writing Injured Money took years, the decision to expose the fraudulent action of insurance companies took seconds. From the time I learned my insurance company had misquoted key medical records, making it appear as if the injuries were unrelated to the accident, I knew consumers needed to know about the lack of ethics within the insurance industry and how it can personally affect them.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that my insurance company would lie, twist the truth and even misquote my own medical records, making it appear as if my injuries were not a result of the accident. In my view, this is both unethical and unacceptable behavior. To an auto insurance company, I was just another claim they did not want to pay so they could increase their profits.

Injured Money is about protecting you and your family with insurance. Whether you read the book before or after an accident occurs, this book is a guide to buying and using insurance, and a story about how badly things can go wrong if you don’t buy insurance carefully. Key points you will take away from this book include:

* An easy-to-understand guide for winning insurance claims with step-by-step instructions starting from the day you have an accident all the way through winning your claim or lawsuit.

* The inside story on how insurance companies operate so that you know what to expect, what to do, and what not to do when dealing with insurance companies who claim they want to ‘help you.’

* Advice on how to deal with medical and auto insurance companies when they stop paying your medical bills because they both claim the other one is responsible. It’s no wonder that medical bills are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S. In my case, I was faced with $84K of medical bills that no insurance company would pay.

* The know-how to enable you to represent yourself without a lawyer and save significant money on legal fees, as well as recognizing when it’s time to hire an attorney to maximize the amount of money recovered.

While writing this book and researching the industry, I discovered how badly the insurance industry needs reform. It is also clear that the new laws under the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) do not address the problems with the insurance industry highlighted in this book, making this book a must-read for most Americans.

While this is something of a David and Goliath scenario and people are scared to speak out against Goliath (their insurance company), we are in a new era. In the era of the Internet, we now have nearly 200 million David’s (all consumers like you and I) who can share information to educate each other about insurance companies. For this reason, I have also created the website ValChoice to serve as a place where consumers can not only learn which insurance companies are best about paying claims, they can also fill out surveys about their own insurance companies and share stories about what happened to them. This collection of information will empower consumers to give their business to only the reputable companies who will pay claims on behalf of their policyholders.

The Day That Changes Your Life

For me that day was a sunny Friday morning in June, two days before Father’s Day. Our Father’s Day plans were for my wife, Kelly, and I to celebrate with our three young children, ages 2, 4 and six weeks old.

It was 8 a.m. and I was enjoying the beautiful morning while riding my bicycle to work. I was a serious cyclist and regularly commuted to work on a bicycle. I always rode the side streets to stay away from heavy traffic.

On this particular morning, a driver coming toward me from the other direction decided – without warning – to abruptly accelerate into a left turn, crossing my path directly in front of me. I was traveling with traffic at 26 mph, giving us a collision speed of approximately 50 mph. The woman speeding through the intersection was watching me every inch of the way. As she steered her car directly at me, she looked over the steering wheel, across the hood, and we locked eyes. She clearly saw me, but did not brake, swerve or take any action to avoid hitting me.

With the quickest reactions I could summon, I swerved toward the middle of the intersection, desperate to avoid a head-on collision. But my reactions had not been quick enough. As I turned, my right hip and chest collided with the passenger side of her car. Upon impact, I flipped up and over her car and landed in the middle of the intersection. She was at fault since I had the right-of-way, but that doesn’t help much when you’re lying on the pavement seriously injured.

I didn’t realize it yet, but my Father’s Day plans had suddenly changed. Replacing sleeping-in and playing games in the backyard and swimming in the pool would be Kelly getting a baby sitter to watch the kids in the hospital waiting room, since young children are not allowed into Intensive Care Units (ICU).

At the hospital, it was determined I had broken/displaced ribs, a punctured/collapsed lung and a fractured hip. I was later diagnosed with three slipped vertebrae in my neck. Needless to