Archive for category Car Accidents

Auto Insurance – Do you have the right coverage?

Most people have no idea what kind of insurance they have until AFTER they get into an auto accident. Every state is different when it comes to required coverages for your automobile. Florida is considered a “NO-Fault” state because of our required coverage or lack thereof. People call us all day long and tell me until they are blue in the face that they have full coverage. The definition of full coverage varies greatly from caller to caller. Have you ever heard the saying – you can never have enough insurance? What kind of insurance should you have?

The answer to that question also varies tremendously. In my opinion, the most important coverage you can carry in Florida is UM or under/uninsured motorist coverage. How do you know if you carry any or enough of this coverage? Find out BEFORE you have a car accident. Call your insurance company or agent to have them clearly explain to you what  type of coverage you have and then ask them what you don’t have. Run through different scenarios in your head to double check that you have not just the state mandated coverage but the coverage to give you and your family peace of mind in the event of an auto accident related injury. If you need some help, give us a call. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard almost every possible scenario you could dream up.

www.harrellandharrell.com

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School is back in session

For those of you with kids this is good news. Schedules become more manageable, vacation has come and gone and life settles down just a bit. Ahhh!

Not so fast, any relief gained by knowing where our kids are and when they have to be there is offset by those annoying yellow school buses and those darn school zones we all have to commute through. What is there about a bus or a slow speed zone that gets us all so aggravated? In reality, the amount of time added to our drives by stopping for a loading/unloading bus  is minuscule. A car accident will cause you much more delay and aggravation – ruining your day or someone elses day.

Slow down and take a deep breath. Allow a few extra minutes for that bus or school zone. Also, traffic on the roads will increase dramatically with moms and dads taking their kids to school. Worse yet, there will be a dramatic increase in new inexperienced drivers taking the family car to school for the first time.

Be attentive and patient! Traffic will settle down in a week or so. Try not to be the one who causes a car accident or becomes a victim of a car accident.

www.harrellandharrell.com

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Jacksonville car accident

Have you had the misfortune of being involved in a car accident recently? Even though it hasn’t rained much this spring, there have been no lack of auto accidents on the roads in and around Jacksonville. Gas prices seem to be keeping some people off the roads but thankfully the high price of gasoline is starting to ease also. I do like my quicker drive to work but paying $60 for a tank of gas even in my Ford Fusion is getting old.

What should you do if you are involved in a car accident? There are so many things to consider and I know most of you don’t want to commit that kind of stuff to memory. Give us a call regardless of the facts of your accident or the extent of your injuries so we can help answer those questions. Yes there is still such a thing as FREE advice. Of course we would love to make you a client. Avoid the unnecessary referral services and consider using a local and highly respected law firm to handle your personal injury case.

If we can be of assistance, feel free to contact us! Your FREE consultation won’t cost you a thing and it is always confidential.

Don’t settle for less than you deserve!

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Safe Driving for teens (and others)

Stumbled across this page provided by Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. School will be out soon and more young drivers will be out on the road for summer fun. Gas prices may slow that down a bit but not completely. Please share these tips with your kids and help keep us all safer on Florida’s roads and highways by reducing car accidents and personal injury. I imagine all these tips will work for us grown ups also.

www.harrellandharrell.com

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Car accident questions

Have you recently been in a car accident? Injured or not, people have lots of unanswered questions about what to do and how to do it. There are lots of backyard cross the fence experts out there that help foster all the bad information about car accidents, injuries, insurance companies and attorneys.

Most folks have no understanding of the basic Florida auto insurance requirements and what their coverages do and for whom. Try explaining to a parent of a grown child still living at home why their own auto insurance has to pay for their child’s medical bills after the child gets in a car accident while riding with a buddy.

Regardless of fault, there are certain questions we ask people to help determine who is going to pay the injured person’s medical bills and lost wages. You should hear the feedback I have heard over the years. Some people get irate, some are still confused even after I have tried to explain it until I am blue in the face while others just say OK!

If you have questions concerning your car accident or auto insurance, call us or send an e-mail through our website. I promise to try to answer all your questions and you won’t even get to see me turn blue.

Give us a call

 

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Toyota recalls again

In addition to the already recalled ten million vehicles, Toyota has just announced the recall of another 1.6 million vehicles due to a brake problem and/or a fuel pump problem. The recall includes the popular Avalon and Highlander model along with some Lexus model cars.

Please check to see if your car is one of the millions of vehicles recalled by Toyota. Contact your local Toyota dealer to fix the problem and contact us if you’ve been injured as a result of Toyota’s defects in their cars.

www.harrellandharrell.com

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Seatbelt recall – Chevrolet Impala

General Motors will recall over 303,000 Chevrolet Impalas for a problem with the front seat belts.  The seat belt webbing on certain 2009-2010 Impalas may not have been properly secured to the belt pretensioner anchor, which is located near the door. The seatbelt may not properly protect an occupant of  the car involved in a crash;therefore, the occupants may suffer serious personal injury as a result of a car accident. Dealers will inspect both front seat belts and reinstall the anchors, if necessary. The recall will begin late October.

For more information, contact Chevrolet at 800-630-2438.

Please contact us if you think you were injured as a result of this problem or any other Jacksonville car accident.

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What is PIP? – No Fault?

Who pays your medical bills when you are injured in a Florida car accident?

Most people don’t know that answer until after they are the victim of another driver’s carelessness. They call the at-fault insurance company only to be told to pound sand or some similar response. Then they call an attorney because they are frustrated with the first answer. Sometimes I can sense additional frustration when we ask them for the name of their automobile insurance company and attempt to explain Florida’s No-Fault law. Who does pay your medical bills?

Here’s a copy of an answer to that question which is posted on our website.

Florida is a “no fault insurance” state. Therefore, your own car insurance, under its Personal Injury Protection (PIP) provisions required under Florida law, is the primary or first to pay medical expenses.

Although PIP benefits can vary from policy to policy, typically 80% of your medical expenses up to $10,000 are paid by PIP. The “no fault” concept is designed to make sure your medical bills are quickly paid and a car accident victim does not have to spend time and money fighting over who was at fault for the car accident to get legitimate medical bills paid. These payments by your insurance company DO NOT affect your premiums.

If PIP benefits are used up, various types of health insurance and other programs may then assume responsibility for your medical expenses.

Please feel free to contact us for answers to many other questions you may have regarding your car accident or injuries suffered in your car accident.

www.harrellandharrell.com

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