Car Accidents in Johnson City, TN

Johnson City, Tennessee is unusual in that it is located within three separate counties:  Washington, Carter and Sullivan. It is ranked as one of the ten biggest cities in Tennessee, however, it has also been ranked as one of the top 10 least expensive cities for living in the U.S.A. Interstate 26 is the major roadway system in the area and it connect Johnson City with Kingsport to the north and Asheville, North Carolina to the south.

If you have been injured in a car accident in Johnson City or Washington, Carter or Sullivan County, Tennessee, you need a lawyer who is familiar with the area and local court system to guide you.  The lawyers at Stephen A. Burroughs are such lawyers. Call us today at 865-525-3773 for a free consultation.

4 Things You Should Know About Car Accident Claims

In order to protect yourself, there are four things you should always keep in mind about car accidents:

Insurance companies are not on your side.

The one overriding principle you must always keep in mind is that Insurance companies are trying to make the maximum amount of profit possible. There is nothing wrong with a business trying to make profit, but you should always remember that your interest in being fully compensated goes directly against their interest in maximizing profits, which they try to do by paying you as little as possible on your claim.  It would be nice if car insurance companies had your best interests in mind after a car accident, but no matter how hard they may try to convince you, that is simply not the case. That fact does not change even if you weren’t at fault and you suffer injuries that are clear and significant.

Here are some common tactics used by insurance companies in their attempts to wrongfully deny or reduce the value of claims:

• Argue against your injuries and try to claim they’re less extreme than you say or perhaps even claim that your injuries were pre-existing (even if you have a doctor’s report showing otherwise).
• Claim that you caused or contributed to your own injuries in some way.
• Delay payment for many months, hoping you’ll feel pressured to accept a lower offer to pay for increasing medical bills while you wait.
• Offer you quick cash for the accident. This might seem like a good thing, but it doesn’t give you time to asses the full cost of damage or injuries, meaning you’re left with less than you deserve.
• Getting medical care early on is crucial and easy to obtain, even without health insurance or money to pay up front.

One of the most important things an injured party can do is obtain medical evaluation and treatment early on in the process.  It is important for both your physical health and the success of your case to seek medical treatment soon after the onset of injury and stay in treatment and follow your doctor’s instructions until released from care.  Insurance companies realize that medical proof of your injury will be required to successfully make a claim for injuries and they routinely use delays in getting treatment, gaps in treatment or the early termination of treatment as an excuse for denying or significantly reducing the value of injury claims.  Insurance companies routinely do this even when the crash was severe, and the injuries are obvious. To combat this tactic by insurance companies, it is important that you seek treatment very soon after your car accident and stay in treatment, while honestly reporting your symptoms, until you are released from treatment by your medical provider.

Many people delay or completely avoid treatment due to lack of health insurance or other financial concerns.  However, our office has relationships with medical providers all across the state who are willing to treat our clients at no upfront cost.  We can usually get you an appointment within days with a provider who is willing to provide for your medical needs upon our mutual promise to pay their bill later out any settlement or verdict in your case.  By helping our clients get prompt necessary medical attention, we not only help them feel better physically and protect their health, but also assist them in documenting their injuries and the effects those injuries have upon their lives, which increases the value of their claims.

Time is of the essence.

Obtaining medical care early on is not the only time sensitive issue when it comes to car accidents. Evidence like 911 tapes and cruiser videos are only kept for limited periods of time, and if not requested in time will be destroyed and become forever unavailable.  Witnesses move and memories fade; roadways change and weather and time can significantly change accident scenes. Cars involved in crashes are repaired or destroyed and injuries heal. These are only some of the reasons why it is important to speak with a qualified car accident attorney early in the process.

You may be able to recover more than you think.

Most people are simply not aware of all the types of damage recoverable from a car accident, nor of the types of insurance coverages available to pay those damages. For example, most people are aware that they can recover for the medical expenses in their case, but not aware that they are also entitled to mileage for all of those trips to the doctor.  Most people know that if they miss work and lose income due to injury that they can recover for lost wages, but are not aware that they are entitled to recover for lost sick or vacation time they were required to use while injured or that a spouse or parent is entitled to lost time or sick days spent caring for their injured spouse or child. Moreover, most people realize that they are protected from injuries caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver if they have an uninsured motorist policy. However, many do not realize that their UM policy protects them even if their injury occurred outside of any vehicle or while riding as a passenger in a vehicle owned by another person. There is only one way to ensure that you are getting fully compensated for all damages that you are entitled to claim and that you are accessing all of the money that may be available to you and that is by speaking to an experienced car accident attorney.

The experienced car accident lawyers of Stephen A. Burroughs have significant experience in litigating all types of personal injury cases before the courts in Johnson City, Tennessee and Washington, Sullivan and Carter counties.  If you’ve been injured in Johnson City, Tennessee or the surrounding area, don’t trust your representation to anyone else. Contact the experienced attorneys of Stephen A. Burroughs today at 865-525-3773.