Kuveikis Law, P.C.

How to cover your bills after your car accident

2024-03-05T17:04:04Z

If you’ve found your way to our blog, then you’re probably thinking about taking legal action after being injured in a car accident. While a personal injury lawsuit can help offset your medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering, it might take a bit of time for your claim to play out. But if you’re like a lot of car accident victims, you need financial relief now. So, how are you going to make ends meet as you wait for the legal process to run its course? That’s a good question, and one that you need to answer. After all, if you run out of resources to pay your expenses during your recovery, then you’ll be even more tempted to take a settlement that very well may not be in your best interests. So, let’s look at some options you have for covering your bills while you wait for your personal injury case to play out.

How to cover your expenses while your lawsuit is pending

There’s no one right way to address your expenses. Below are some options that you’ll want to think about utilizing to secure relief until you can recover compensation from your accident claim:

Your insurance policy: Your insurance policy might include medical payments coverage. This provision allows you to recoup several thousands of dollars, oftentimes upwards of $10,000, for reasonable medical expenses. While this won’t cover all your damages, it’s a good starting point. So, be sure to thoroughly review your coverage to see if this is something you can take advantage of.
Hospital lien: If you’ve eaten through your savings and simply don’t have enough to pay hospital bills when they come due, consider discussing a hospital lien with your medical provider. Here, the hospital essentially agrees not to collect medical debt from you until your personal injury claim resolves if you promise to pay the hospital as soon as you recover compensation. This can give you some financial breathing room during your recovery.
Family and friends: You might be hesitant to ask your loved ones for financial support, but your family and friends might be more willing to help than you expect. If you’re worried about how borrowing money will make you look to your loved ones, consider utilizing a written agreement so that everyone knows each other’s obligations and responsibilities. This can take some of the uncertainty and pressure out of the situation.
Lawsuit loan: There are companies out there that will loan you money against your potential personal injury lawsuit recovery. This can give you a quick influx of cash in your time of need but be aware that these loans can carry high interest rates that make paying them back costly. Also, you’ll be responsible for paying back these loans even if your lawsuit is unsuccessful. So, if you’re going to go this route, be extra cautious.

Be ready to fight for what you deserve

Although struggling in the aftermath of your car accident can be incredibly stressful, you might find comfort in securing the support mentioned above and building a compelling personal injury case. By doing so, you can obtain financial relief and put your mind at ease knowing that you’ve built the best case possible under the circumstances.

What to do after a rideshare accident

2023-12-11T18:25:32Z

Rideshares have transformed the way we get around. They are a quick, convenient and cost-effective form of transportation. With the click of a button on our phone, a ride can be waiting for us in a matter of minutes. Ideally, you will arrive safely at your destination, but what happens if you are in a rideshare accident? Most of us have a basic idea of what to do when we are involved in an accident with our own vehicle, but when the vehicle was being operated by a rideshare driver, the situation is different.

Immediately after the accident

However, many of the steps to take after a rideshare accident remain the same. The first thing you should always do is check yourself and others for injuries. Call 911 if anyone appears injured and contact the police. If possible, move the vehicles to a safe location. When the police arrive, make a report and keep a copy of it. Most rideshare services have a feature in their app to report an accident, so report it there, as well. Exchange contact, license and insurance information with everyone else involved in the accident, including witnesses. Document the accident with photographs of your injuries and the damaged vehicle. Take pictures from several different angles to thoroughly document the injuries and damage. Remain calm at the accident scene and do not place blame on anyone.

Talking with the insurance companies

Review the rideshare company’s policies carefully. Learn the type of insurance that applied to your rideshare accident. Typically, once you accepted the ride, the rideshare services insurance applied. If the app was on but the ride was not accepted yet, limited liability insurance may apply. After the accident, avoid discussing it with any insurance company that tries to contact you or anyone from the rideshare company. Their priority is to avoid or minimize their own fault in the accident. It is best to speak with a professional first to learn your options. You should contact your own insurance company and report the accident. Have a thorough medical examination, even if you believe you do not have any injuries. Some injuries show up later. Keep detailed records of all expenses involved with the accident. Remember that this includes more than medical bills. Many people experience extreme mental and emotional suffering after a car accident or develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Therapy or counseling is another accident-related expense that you should document.

Know that you have a right to fair compensation

You will likely eventually be offered a proposed settlement from the rideshare company’s insurance. Before accepting an offer, make sure it is fair and compensates you for all your costs, including any future medical expenses. Although you are under no obligation to negotiate, it is generally better to not accept the first offer from the rideshare company’s insurance, unless you are certain that it fairly compensates you for your injuries. Just as with any other form of public transportation, rideshare companies have a legal duty to make sure their drivers operate their vehicles in a safe and responsible manner. When they drive negligently and cause an accident, you have a right to receive compensation for your injuries.

Commercial driver DUIs in Georgia

2023-08-25T17:58:35Z

In Georgia, drivers who get behind the wheel and drive after drinking alcohol or using drugs are placing themselves and others on the road at risk. This remains a problem despite law enforcement crackdowns and the known penalties that accompany an arrest and conviction. While DUIs are dangerous regardless of the type of vehicle the person is driving, large commercial vehicles can do a significantly greater amount of damage in an accident. Georgia has the most DUIs for commercial operators in the nation. Drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and anyone else on the road need to be cognizant of this. They should be sure to know what steps to take if there is a crash and a commercial DUI was a factor.

Georgia is watching for commercial driver DUIs

The Georgia Department of Public Safety provided the worrisome information about DUIs for commercial drivers in the state. Georgia has twice the number of such violations as the next state on the list. Law enforcement is out in force trying to catch truckers and other commercial drivers who might be violating the law in this way. It is troubling anytime a driver commits a DUI, but the sheer fact that commercial drivers are operating vehicles that are larger and heavier while traveling at high speeds on the interstate gives them a greater chance of inflicting severe damage if this is an accident. GDPS says that there were 459 trucker DUIs in the state in 2021. The next year, there were 480. The most recent numbers for 2023 say there have been 500. Researchers blame the problem on driver irresponsibility and a lack of oversight. Commercial drivers who are charged and convicted of DUI can lose their commercial licenses and thereby jeopardize their livelihood. Still, some choose to run the risk and place others in harm’s way because of it.

Commercial drivers can be held accountable for DUI crashes

Motor vehicle accidents can happen without warning. People are understandably unprepared for a crash and the challenges that follow them. Along with wondering how they will pay for the sudden medical bills, lost time on the job, long-term disability and obstacles with interacting with their family, they also need to think about other considerations. These include dealing with the insurance company, gathering evidence and taking the initiative in holding the intoxicated commercial driver accountable for their behavior. This goes beyond simply recovering for all that was lost and ensuring that the commercial driver’s recklessness is known. This can make society safer by stopping them from driving professionally again. People who are trying to address the consequences of an auto accident need to learn what steps to take. Knowing whom to trust and what should be done can be difficult, particularly when they are also dealing with injuries and perhaps a loved one who was killed. Thinking about the future includes being fully informed about the available options.

Distracted driving is getting even worse

2023-05-18T18:45:48Z

You might think, after years of studies and warnings about how dangerous and unnecessary driving while distracted is, Americans would have gotten the message. But research suggests that distracted driving is not going away. If anything, it's happening more than ever.

Report says most drives include distractions

A report by Cambridge Mobile Telemetrics, a company that supplies telemetric data used by insurance companies to monitor their customers' driving habits, indicates that American drivers used their smartphones or other devices during 58 percent of trips in 2022, up significantly since 2020. And those interactions are lasting longer: two minutes and 12 seconds on average in '22, or 25 seconds longer average phone interactions than just two years prior. Even a few seconds of distraction is enough to cause a horrible car accident. So the fact that drivers across the Atlanta metro area and the rest of the country are using their phones for minutes at a time is very troubling. It is no surprise that deaths and injuries in distracted driving crashes are still a huge safety problem in the U.S., and a contributor to the fact that 42,915 people were killed in collisions in 2021 -- the deadliest year on the roads since 2005.

Why is distracted driving so popular?

It's safe to say that most American motorists have heard the warnings experts and politicians have given us about distracted driving. So why are drivers distracting themselves more often, not less? It could be that many chronically distracted drivers believe the threat is exaggerated or that they are the exception and distractions don't impair their safe driving skills. Finally, some drivers might be so addicted to their phones that it is worth the danger to them. The truth is, distracted driving is a reckless and selfish decision that can kill and disable innocent people. After getting hit by a distracted driver, you could be left with painful, debilitating injuries that rob you of your independence and quality of life. That is what a personal injury lawsuit is meant to compensate you for.

How much does it cost to treat a spinal cord injury?

2023-03-01T07:05:55Z

A severe car or truck accident can be a life-defining moment. After all, it can leave you or your loved one with injuries that are so significant that they result in permanent disability. This, in turn, can upend your financial stability, prevent you or your loved one from doing the things you love, and leave you with a crushing psychological burden that’s difficult to shake. These types of overwhelming losses are often seen in truck accidents, where the size and weight of a big rig devastates a passenger vehicle. Those who are fortunate enough to survive these wrecks may be left with brain and spinal cord injuries, which can easily lead to the harms mentioned above. But just how expensive is it to care for one of these injuries?

The costs of treating a spinal cord injury

The exact costs that you or your loved one will face after suffering a spinal cord injury depends on the specific type of injury suffered. Those injuries that leave you or your loved one with more limited mobility are going to be more expensive to care for. But to give you an idea of what you and your loved one may be up against, let’s look at the costs associated with treating some of these injuries:

Paraplegia: This type of injury, which leaves you without motor function in your lower extremities, can cost more than $500,000 to treat in the year following your injury. Each subsequent year may then cost in excess of $75,000. Over your lifetime, then, you could be facing more than $2 million in medical and rehabilitation expenses.
Low tetraplegia: This more severe injury is even more expensive to treat, coming in at more than $800,000 in costs during the first year of recovery. Each subsequent year can rack up more than $100,000 in costs for a lifetime expense of up to approximately $3.7 million.
Hight tetraplegia: This is the most serious spinal cord injury, and it’s the most expensive to treat. Those who suffer this kind of injury are often left with more than $1 million in medical costs in the year following their accident, and each year after that can easily see more than $200,000 costs. This leaves victims and their families with up to more than $5 million in lifetime costs to treat the injury.

It's obvious that most, if not all, people who suffer these injuries are going to be unable to cover their financial losses on their own, even if they have great insurance coverage. Additionally, these expenses don’t even touch other losses that you might face, such as lost wages, pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life. These damages can be overwhelming, too, leaving you feeling hopeless for the future.

Finding accountability for your accident injuries

But not all hope is lost. Although there may not be much that you can do about your physical condition, you may be able to offset your financial losses and recover compensation for the emotional and psychological harm that’s been caused to you. This relief will most likely come in the form of a personal injury lawsuit. If you want to maximize your chances of imposing liability on the party who harmed you and recover the compensation that you’re owed, then you might want to think about discussing the specifics of your case with an attorney who is experienced in handling these matters. By doing so, you may find that you don’t have to let your injury define your life, and instead you can take more control over the situation and your future.

Be on your guard with insurance companies

2022-11-23T15:55:20Z

If you’ve been injured in an accident, then you probably want to be paid as quickly as possible for the harm that’s been caused to you. This is understandable given the financial challenges that are oftentimes seen in the aftermath of a wreck. But seeking compensation usually means dealing with an insurance company. These companies have the money needed to make you whole again, the reality is that the insurance company isn’t looking out for you. That’s why as you navigate your legal claim, you’ll want to keep in mind the following so that you can protect your interests throughout the process:

The insurance company is financially motivated: Insurance companies are businesses. As such, they’re focused on maximizing their profits and, in some instances, reporting high earnings to shareholders. How do they do this? Sell as many insurance policies as possible while paying out as little as possible in claims. Therefore, when you’re dealing with an insurance company that says it cares about you, keep in mind that it only cares about its bottom line.
The insurance company will use your words against you: Insurance adjusters may seem friendly enough, but you should keep in mind that they’re looking for a way to either deny your claim or pay you as little as possible. Therefore, you’ll want to be careful with what you say to the insurance company, as they will oftentimes use your words against you as justification for denying your claim or paying you less than you deserve.
The insurance company has strong legal counsel: If you take legal action, then at some point your case is probably going to end up in settlement negotiations. Here, attorneys for the insurance company, who are well-versed in handling these sorts of cases, will implement slick tactics to try to get you to bite on an offer that isn’t right for you. They may make statements that have you doubting the strengths of your case, or they may indicate that they simply can’t offer more than an identified amount. But don’t take them at their word. Be prepared to fight for the outcome that’s right for you.
The insurance company might not be completely honest with you: You might think that an insurance company and its representatives are truthful, but this isn’t always the case. An insurance company may intentionally withhold information from you in hopes of coaxing you into some sort of resolution that isn’t in your best interests. Make sure you have all of the information before making a decision that impacts your claim.
Insurance companies act in bad faith: Even though there are laws on the books that prohibit insurance companies from improperly delaying or denying claims, these companies try to take advantage of injured individuals all the time. With that in mind, you should enter your talks with the insurance company skeptically.

Are you ready to find accountability and recover compensation?

If so, then you need to be prepared to pursue a personal injury lawsuit. There are a lot of moving parts to one of these claims, though, which is why you need to make sure that you know the law and how to navigate it to your advantage.

How do Georgia parents handle personal injury for their children?

2022-09-01T21:34:26Z

Children across the United States are often more vulnerable than adults are to certain things, such as lead poisoning. The truth is that lead is not safe in any amount in the blood. Lead can cause all sorts of damage in the bloodstream, such as brain damage, issues in the nervous system, problems with behavior, disabilities with learning, and many other medical issues. Many of those issues that are caused by lead end up being permanent. Recently, there has been legislation that was passed in Georgia General Assembly and then signed by Georgia's Governor Kemp. The law offers increased protection for children in Georgia who have unfortunately been exposed to lead. The approach to detecting lead in a child's bloodstream, known as the blood lead level (BLL) is measured in micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood. Before the new legislation, the blood had to contain at least 20 micrograms of lead per deciliter. With the new legislation, the blood must only contain 3.5 micrograms per deciliter for lead poisoning to be determined.

Many children may be saved

The new legislation may go a long way to identifying and helping to prevent cases of lead poisoning from happening. Thus, more and more children will be protected from the ill effects that lead poisoning can have on them (and often does). The children who are the most vulnerable, according to the Georgia Department of Health, are those aged six years and under. Children living under the poverty line, people living in older buildings, and pregnant women are also extremely vulnerable. One of the most alarming things about lead poisoning is that if a person has been poisoned, there are often few or no symptoms. The way to figure out if the person has lead poisoning is through a blood test. The test is done by a finger prick, a heel prick, or from a vein in the person's arm. If the test results conclude that there is lead poisoning, the healthcare provider can inform the person (or the parents in the case of a child having been poisoned) about what to do next and what medical care is needed.

Speaking with a knowledgeable Georgia attorney

If you or your child have experienced lead poisoning, the advice of a knowledgeable Georgia attorney may make a tremendous difference to your case. If the source of the lead poisoning was a rented residence, the landlord has a responsibility to keep the tenants safe and being exposed to lead is the antithesis of that. Additionally, the landlord has a responsibility to warn the people who are living in the building about the danger before anything happens. There are, of course, many other sources of lead and in each case, there are responsible parties. The attorney can walk you through the steps of the process that you should follow so that you can go after the compensation that you deserve. Your must protect your rights and make sure that those who are responsible for your safety do the right thing and keep you safe. If they haven't done that, they must take responsibility for their actions otherwise.

When your loved one’s injury impacts your life: legal recourse

2022-06-16T19:18:40Z

Your husband has been your rock for the last 30 years. In addition to providing valuable financial support, he also supports you in innumerable other ways. He handles all the home repairs. He makes you breakfast every morning. He shows you unconditional love and consideration. He’s the one who picks you up when you’re feeling down. He’s the person who believes in you, respects you and is your ultimate confidante. When an accident suddenly leaves your husband with a crippling disability, it naturally has a profound impact on his quality of life. But it also impacts your life in very real ways. In situations such as this, the law allows you to recoup damages for the personal, non-economic losses you suffered. This is a concept known as “loss of consortium.”

What does loss of consortium cover?

Loss of consortium can provide compensation for hard-to-value, emotional damages from a spouse’s serious injury or wrongful death. These may include:

Loss of love and companionship
Loss of intimate relations
Loss of services – including household work
Loss of quality of life – such as ability to socialize or travel

Who can make a loss of consortium claim?

Loss of consortium laws vary from state to state. Some states permit parents or children of an injured or deceased party to file a loss of consortium claim. However, under Georgia law, only spouses are eligible for such compensation – and they must initiate such a claim within four years of their spouse’s injury. When someone suffers a tragic accident, it has a ripple effect on the people close to them. Loss of consortium is a way in which the law acknowledges such impacts.

The Value of Roadside Assistance

2022-06-01T11:40:33Z

Do you know that your own insurance company provides roadside assistance such as towing, etc.? My AAA membership just expired. The annual fee was $85.00 per year for 4 trips. I called my auto insurer, GEICO, and asked them to cost of adding roadside assistance to my policy. The answer: YES, the annual cost: $12 for 5 trips. Hope this saves you money!

Medical Payments Coverage Will Help

2022-06-01T11:40:40Z

Do you have Medical Payments Coverage on your auto insurance policy? You should. Medical Payments Coverage pays for reasonable medical and funeral expenses you incur as a result of an auto accident. The total amount of coverage depends on your policy, but typical limits are $5,000 or $10,000. How does this help you? Let’s say you get in an accident and your medical expenses are $10,000. The at-fault driver’s insurance company offers you a $10,000 settlement offer. a) Scenario 1: Med Pay Coverage of $10,000 – You have no bills left and you put $10,000 in your pocket b) Scenario 2: No Med Pay Coverage – You owe $10,000 to your doctors and you are left with $0 for yourself. It seems like a minor detail but it can make a huge difference if an accident occurs.