Category : Car Insurance Coverage

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What is GAP Insurance and Why You Need to Have It

It’s a great day! You finally got a brand-new car you have worked so hard for. Not a week after you drove it off the lot, you were in a car accident and your brand-new car was totaled. The insurance company sends you a check that will not cover the cost of a replacement vehicle of the same year, make and model. Now what? That’s where gap insurance comes in.

Gap Insurance Protects You

The purpose of gap insurance is to make up the difference between the cost of your loan and the fair market value of the vehicle. It protects you from finding yourself in a very difficult situation and ultimately gives you peace of mind.

Gap insurance also protects you in the event that your car is stolen and unrecovered. Instead of the insurance company giving you the actual value of the vehicle, they would cover the difference of the loan as well, so you’re not stuck with a substantial bill to pay and no car to drive.

It is always advised to thoroughly read through your insurance company’s gap insurance coverage so you are fully aware of the protection that you have.

Also, if you lease a brand-new car, gap insurance can be included with your lease as legally the car still belongs to the manufacturer. To make sure, read the fine print of your lease agreement before you sign and ask your local car dealer.

Questions about Gap Insurance

Contrada & Associates believes that Gap insurance is very important to have if you have a newer vehicle, or if you have interest payments on your car loan. If you do not add this optional insurance coverage to your policy, you could potentially find yourself in a very troubling financial situation.

After helping numerous clients through car accident claims and seeing the problems they face with their insurance coverage, attorney Contrada’s goal is to inform motorists of the options they have when it comes to car insurance coverage.

If you have been injured in a car accident, don’t sign or say anything. Contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Attorney Charles V. Contrada will explain your legal options, guide you through the process.

To speak to attorney Charles V. Contrada about a personal injury accident in Ohio or Michigan, call 419.841.4400. Charles has helped thousands of individuals with personal injury claims and will explain the legal options that are available to you. Call Contrada & Associates for comprehensive legal guidance that will help you to receive the most favorable outcome.

Why Car Insurance is Important for Cyclists

It may seem obvious that if you are riding your bicycle and get hit by a passing vehicle and they have insurance, it will step in and cover your injuries. However, there are two scenarios where your car insurance will protect you. First, if you are involved in a hit and run while riding your bicycle. Second, if the driver that hits you on your bicycle is uninsured. In either scenario, your car insurance will step in and cover your injuries. However, in both instances, you must have purchased uninsured motorist coverage.

When most people think of car insurance, they think of a car accident involving two vehicles. But, a lot of people don’t realize your car insurance covers you whether you’re in a car or not. Your car insurance can help cover the first level of your medical bills.

Cyclists can use Car Insurance

What to do if you’re in a hit-and-run situation

First things first, make sure you get medical attention immediately. Then it is crucial to file a police report as often insurance companies will require one. Also, if you are able, see if there are any witnesses. Also, hire a personal injury attorney to represent you. This will allow your case to be more deeply investigate and document instances before, during and after the crash that proves you were not at fault.

What can cyclists do to protect themselves?

There is always an inherent danger when you’re cycling on a road you share with vehicles. One way to help protect yourself is a go-pro camera. A helmet camera can help determine fault in an accident involving a bicycle and a vehicle.

If you have been injured in a cycling accident involving a vehicle, don’t sign or say anything. Contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Attorney Charles V. Contrada will explain your legal options, guide you through the process.

To speak to attorney Charles V. Contrada about a car accident in Ohio or Michigan, call 419.841.4400. Charles has helped thousands of individuals with car accident claims and will explain the legal options that are available to you. Call Contrada & Associates for comprehensive legal guidance that will help you to receive the most favorable outcome.

Settling the Property Damage Portion of Your Car Crash Claim

Under Ohio law, there are essentially two claims to any car accident against the at-fault driver’s insurance company.   First is the property damage claim which involves damage to your vehicle.   The second claim is the personal injury claim.  You can settle the property damage claim and it will have no adverse affect on your injury claim.

Always keep in mind that at the end of the day, the insurance company is not your friend.  Their first interest is themselves and their bottom line.

car insurance property claim

I get many phone calls from people wondering what is going on and why is the insurance company doing things regarding the property damage claim and I would like to explain them now.  If your car is damaged in a crash, the at-fault driver’s insurance company can do one of two things:   they can pay for the cost of repairs to your vehicle or they can declare your vehicle a “total loss” and pay you the “fair market value” of your vehicle.    It is very important to know that you have absolutely no say in whether the insurance company repairs your vehicle or declares your vehicle a total loss.    It is totally up to that insurance company.

Obviously, repairs are pretty obvious and if your vehicle is being repaired, the insurance company owes you a rental car for the reasonable period of repairs.  If you have already gotten a rental car through your company, don’t worry, your company will get their money back from the at-fault driver’s company.

Many people ask me what a “total loss” means.   A total loss simply means that in the insurance company’s mind, the cost of repairs will exceed the fair market value of the vehicle.   In other words, if the insurance company thinks that the cost of repairs will end up being more than totaling out the vehicle, they will total out your vehicle.   Once again, you have no say in whether they total your vehicle out or not.

“Fair market value” means what your vehicle could be sold for on the open market to an individual on the day of the accident before the crash.  Oftentimes, insurance companies come up with the “fair market value” by finding comparables.   A comparable is a vehicle with the same make, model and year as yours.  The big difference is mileage.   Generally, the insurance company will find five comparables within 100 miles of Toledo and based upon the differences in mileage, will come up with a “fair market value” for your vehicle. Generally you can ask for and receive the comparables from the other driver’s insurance company to review yourself.    In addition, if you have had recent mechanical or tire work done on your vehicle if you submit the receipts you can often get the fair market value increased.     However, the work and new parts must have been close to the time of the crash.

Finally, the other driver’s insurance must reimburse you for tax and title if you buy another vehicle within 30 days of the settlement.     Of course, they will only pay tax up to the amount they have offered you, not for the total tax on the vehicle you purchased.  Generally, the insurance company will offer you a rental car for a short period of time, once they have declared your vehicle a total loss, and the worse the insurance company, the shorter the period of time.     Consequently, even though you may be in severe pain, you may need to get out and look for a new car shortly after the crash occurred.

Finally, if the insurance company declares your vehicle a total loss, they will tow it away and sell it for salvage value and keep the money.   If you wish to keep the vehicle because you or your friends could repair that vehicle, you can get a salvage title.   Once you get a salvage title, they will pay you the fair market value, minus the salvage value of your vehicle, such that if the fair market value of your vehicle is $5,000.00 and the salvage value, or what the insurance company could sell the vehicle to a junkyard for, is $1,000.00, they would write you a check for $4,000.00 plus allow you to have the vehicle.  The important feature here is that if you have a salvage title, you are really not supposed to drive the vehicle until it is repaired and it is approved by the Ohio State Highway Patrol in Findlay, Ohio.

If you have been injured in a car accident, don’t sign or say anything. Contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case.  Attorney Charles V. Contrada will explain your legal options and guide you through the process.

To speak to attorney Charles V. Contrada about a car accident in Ohio or Michigan, call (419) 841-4400.  Charles has helped thousands of individuals with car accident claims and will explain the legal options that are available to you. Call Contrada & Associates for comprehensive legal guidance that will help you to receive the most favorable outcome.

Recorded Statements and Insurance Companies

When you are involved in a car crash, you oftentimes have to deal with two automobile insurance companies:  your insurance company and the driver at fault’s insurance company.

recorded statements and insurance companies

There are several differences in regard to whether to give a sworn statement or an interview, regarding the crash.

No matter what, always remember that insurance companies and insurance adjusters are not you
r friends.   Their first interest is their company’s bottom line.  Before you tell them anything, you should consult a personal injury attorney about what to say and how to say it, as there will be at least two insurance companies involved.

The main difference between providing a recorded statement for your car insurance company and the driver at fault’s car insurance company is that you are essentially obligated to give a statement to your company.    Most insurance policies have a “duty to cooperate” clause in their policies.  This means that if an insurance company wants a statement from their insured, they must provide it or the insurance company can deny coverage.  In other words, if the insured does not cooperate with his own company, they do not have to insure their insured.   Many people get a lawyer involved at this juncture because they simply don’t trust insurance companies because they know the interest of the insurance company is not their self-interest.

Oftentimes, the insurance company for the driver at fault wants to take your sworn statement, even when the liability issue is clear.  In other words, if you get rear-ended, there is really no defense to the car that hit you and yet many times the insurance companies of the at-fault driver demand a statement.  There is absolutely no state law that says you must give a statement, much less a recorded statement, to the other person’s insurance company.  Oftentimes, they act like you must do so, but it is simply not true.

I generally tell the insurance companies that we will not give a statement unless there is some unusual circumstance which could be the basis to deny a claim right from the get go, where a statement would clear it up.   Of course, I have had over 30 years of experience and know when there is truly an unusual circumstance such that I would allow a statement to be made.

Normally, if we do a statement, my clients come to my office and the insurance adjuster takes the statement by telephone and is not present in my office.    Most of the time I do not allow the statement to be recorded.

If you have been injured in a car accident, don’t sign or say anything.    Contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case.  Attorney Charles V. Contrada will explain your legal options and guide you through the process.

To speak to attorney Charles V. Contrada about a car accident in Ohio or Michigan, call (419) 841-4400.  Charles has helped thousands of individuals with car accident claims and will explain the legal options that are available to you. Call Contrada & Associates for comprehensive legal guidance that will help you to receive the most favorable outcome.

Vital Evidence in Multi-Car Accidents

When you are involved in a car accident, it’s a traumatic event. When it’s a multi-car accident, it’s even more shocking and you can get lost in the fray without collecting vital evidence if you are able. There are many factors that can play into multi-car accidents including multiple people seeking damages. This can make the claims process very complicated very quickly. In order to successfully make a claim, you need to evidence to establish and prove who is at fault and liable. Here are the types of evidence you need to prove fault in multi-car accident claims.

Witness Accounts

When the evidence and photos at the scene of the accident don’t paint a complete picture of what happened, witness accounts are extremely important to help fill in the gaps. With a witness to corroborate your testimony, it helps to ensure a better understanding of the incident. Witnesses may also have digital evidence as well as their own personal accounts such as video or photos from their cell phones that can be used to help validate what happened at the crash site.

Accident Report

With every accident where the police are called, there will be an official accident report filed. The accident report should include information such as a summary of driver statements, a diagram of the accident area and in some cases, the opinion of the responding officer. Make sure you obtain a copy of the police report as this can be used as a part of your claim.

Evidence in car accident

Evidence that Helps Establish Fault

Establishing who is at fault in a multi-car accident (3 cars or more) is vital in determining how to proceed with a claim. There could be one or more drivers responsible for causing the accident. You need to collect various pieces of evidence to be used as proof of your claim. These include photographs, how far the cars moved in the accident, information of all who were involved, and make sure you write down in detail everything you can remember at the scene of the accident and how the accident occurred. But remember health and safety first. If you are too injured to get out of your car, stay put. If the other drive isn’t able, call 9-1-1 and report that fact and ask 9-1-1 to stay on the phone with you until the police arrive.

Legal Representation

In many multi-car accidents, a personal injury attorney may be necessary. An attorney can help prove who is at fault for the accident and help you file your claim, deal with insurance companies and in some cases court proceedings.

If you have been injured in a multi-car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Attorney Charles V. Contrada will explain your legal options, guide you through the process.

To speak to attorney Charles V. Contrada about a car accident in Ohio or Michigan, call 419.841.4400. Charles has helped thousands of individuals with car accident claims and will explain the legal options that are available to you. Call Contrada & Associates for comprehensive legal guidance that will help you to receive the most favorable outcome.

How Insurance Companies Calculate Accident Settlements

Have you been injured in a car accident and received a settlement offer from the insurance company that is much lower than you expected? This happens to most accident victims and probably gets you thinking about how the insurance company calculates their settlement offers. When it comes to calculating your settlement, insurance companies do not have a specific and precise mathematical formula since every accident claim is different. However, they do use a specific set of factors to determine the worth of your claim.  See below for the 4 main settlement factors that insurance companies rely on.

Car Accident Insurance Settlement

Damaged Vehicles Settlements

When your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the insurance companies will most likely only pay for the cost of the repair or replacement of the damaged item(s). The exception to this rule is if the car is marked as a total loss meaning the repair costs exceed the value of the vehicle. When this happens, the insurance company will usually base their settlements on fair market value. In other words, you could have sold your car for the day of the accident but before the crash, not the cost of a new vehicle.  In most cases, this is not enough to cover the price of a new vehicle.

Injury Settlements

When it comes to your injuries suffered in a car accident and how that gets figured into your settlement, it is negotiated separately from your vehicle damage. If you suffer a broken bone, you would receive extra compensation from the insurance company. The amount is determined by your total medical bills and the extent of your injuries documented in your medical reports, but in Ohio is part of the injury claim which also includes pain and suffering.

Pain and Suffering Settlements

Separate from vehicle damage and part of the injury settlement, there can also be compensation for pain and suffering. This is an amount in addition to your medical bills that will help compensate for the past and future pain and complications from your injury. Also, if your doctor expects you to need more treatment in the future, make sure your settlement includes an estimate to compensate for your future medical treatment as well. Before you accept any settlement offer from the insurance company, consult a personal injury attorney to review your case.

If you have been injured in a car accident, don’t sign or say anything. Contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Attorney Charles V. Contrada will explain your legal options, guide you through the process.

To speak to attorney Charles V. Contrada about a car accident in Ohio or Michigan, call 419.841.4400. Charles has helped thousands of individuals with car accident claims and will explain the legal options that are available to you. Call Contrada & Associates for comprehensive legal guidance that will help you to receive the most favorable outcome.

Legal Consequences of Road Rage

While you are driving on the road, you never know who you are on the same road with. Over the last few years, drivers have become increasingly aggravated and aggressive and can create a situation which leads to motor vehicle accidents. Some people can keep themselves in check, but others become so enraged they purposely cause accidents in a fit of road rage.

What is Road Rage?

The Department of Motor Vehicles defines road rage as aggressive or violent behavior stemming from a driver’s uncontrolled anger at the actions of another motorist. Examples of road rage are:

  • Hitting another vehicle with your vehicle
  • Running other motorists off the road
  • Pulling over, getting out of your vehicle and engaging in a physical confrontation
  • Inciting the passengers in your vehicle to fight another driver
  • Using any sort of weapon to inflict harm on another driver or vehicle

Road Rage

Road Rage Triggers to Watch For

There are my factors that can trigger road rage. Know the signs and know how to get yourself to safety.  Look out for drivers who are engaging in the following as they might easily be triggered into road rage. If you see a driver demonstrating these behaviors on the road, give them space and avoid getting close to them.

  • Tailgating
  • Cutting other drivers off
  • Weaving through traffic
  • Speeding
  • Honking their horn
  • Brake checking
  • Flashing their headlights

What to do in a Road Rage Situation/Accident

In the unfortunate event of finding yourself in a road rage situation or a victim of an accident caused by a driver with road rage, you need to stay calm and do not engage the other driver. In this type of situation knowing what to do could make a huge difference.

  • Do not engage at any point
  • Keep moving and get away as soon as you can
  • Stay on busy well lit and traveled roads
  • Drive to a police station
  • Get the license plate number of the vehicle driving with road rage if possible and file a police report
  • If you are involved in an accident, call the police and stay in your vehicle. Under no circumstances should you roll down your window or exit the vehicle and engage the aggressor.

Consequences of Road Rage

If a law enforcement officer catches a driver engaging in road rage, they can be charged with a criminal offense. This means that they could:

  • Face increased insurance premiums
  • Go to court
  • Pay legal fees
  • Possibly face jail/prison time

In addition, they risk:

  • Damage to their vehicle and your vehicle.
  • Physical harm to themselves, you and your passengers.
  • Death

Remember, your insurance coverage only kicks in if you are negligent. Every car insurance policy excludes intentional acts. If you purposely crash into another vehicle your coverage will be denied and if the other party sues, you will be forced to pay out of your own pocket.

If you were injured in an accident caused by a driver with road rage, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Attorney Charles V. Contrada will explain your legal options, guide you through the process.

To speak to attorney Charles V. Contrada about a car accident in Ohio or Michigan, call 419.841.4400. Charles has helped thousands of individuals with car accident claims and will explain the legal options that are available to you. Call Contrada & Associates for comprehensive legal guidance that will help you to receive the most favorable outcome.

What To Do After a Hit and Run Accident

Being a victim of a hit and run accident is extremely frightening and stressful. First thing first is try to stay calm and keep your wits about you. Look at your surroundings and see if you are able to get a glimpse of the person who hit you. Here are a few things to never do at the scene of a hit and run accident. Don’t follow the fleeing driver unless you are sure you can get a complete license plate number. Leaving the scene of an accident could put you in a compromising position seeing as the police could question who’s really at fault.

 

Hit and Run Accident

 

Gather information about the accident

Gather as much information from the scene as you can. The biggest piece of information is a license plate number. If you can’t make out the whole number, remember as much as you can. Write down a description of the driver, if possible. Describe the car – make, model, color, if the vehicle is older or newer, etc. It is critical to write down the time and location of the accident as well as the damage to your vehicle and what direction the vehicle who hit you was going.

See if there are witnesses

If you were hit in a populated area and there are witnesses that saw your accident, get names, contact information, and write down details of what they saw. If they are still there when the police arrive, have them give their statement as well.

Call the police

Call the police and report the accident, if they arrive at the scene, give your statement and account of what happened. This report will be essential to your claim. If they are not needed at the scene of the accident, you should drive to the nearest police station and get an accident form to fill out.

Take photos

Take as many photos’s of your vehicle’s damage as possible. If the other driver’s vehicle left some of their paint on your car, point that out. Take photos from every angle and direction on each spot of damage. Documenting everything you see will help bolster your claim.

Hire a personal injury attorney

When you don’t have much information on the car that hit you, filing a claim can be challenging. Hiring a personal injury attorney to help you navigate the claims process to make sure your settlement is appropriate, especially if you suffered injuries as a result of your accident.

If you were injured in a hit and run acciden

t, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Attorney Charles V. Contrada will explain your legal options, guide you through the process.

To speak to attorney Charles V. Contrada about a car accident in Ohio or Michigan, call 419.841.4400. Charles has helped thousands of individuals with car accident claims and will explain the legal options that are available to you. Call Contrada & Associates for comprehensive legal guidance that will help you to receive the most favorable outcome.

Can Social Media Harm A Personal Injury Case?

Social media channels have integrated themselves into the daily lives of most individuals. Everyone loves to share status updates, photos, and videos about what is going on in their life. Sometimes, sharing updates about a car accident can result in consequences in the future. Here is what you can do to protect yourself and your personal injury claim on social media.

social media

Effects of Social Media

Information that is shared on a public social media account can cause complications. Insurance adjusters, lawyers, and others will search profiles on social media scrutinizing any information they can find that they can relate to fraud, conflicting statements as well as additional evidence.

The court rulings on social media are not concrete as it still is fairly new in the eyes of the law. In general, public posts on social media channels will most likely be admissible as evidence. Private posts or person to person posts may be somewhat complex to obtain as evidence.

Here at Contrada & Associates, we believe honesty is the best policy.  If you have a back injury or a neck injury, you should not be out dancing, riding coasters at Cedar Point or driving dirt bikes. Let your body heal up.  Sometimes people at parties do things they are later embarrassed by and when you have an insurance claim you do not want embarrassment in the negotiation of settlement of that claim.

While your personal injury or car accident claim is pending, take the following actions regarding your social media accounts into consideration.

  • Do not post any details, photos, videos or status updates regarding your accident.
  • Tell your friends and family to not comment or make any posts on their own accounts stating any information regarding your accident.
  • Increase the privacy on your account to make sure none of your information is viewable to the public.
  • Remove any past posts, photos or videos that could be damaging to your current claim.

If you were injured in an accident, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Attorney Charles V. Contrada will explain your legal options, guide you through the process.

To speak to attorney Charles V. Contrada about a car accident in Ohio or Michigan, call 419.841.4400. Charles has helped thousands of individuals with car accident claims and will explain the legal options that are available to you. Call Contrada & Associates for comprehensive legal guidance that will help you to receive the most favorable outcome

Accidents in a Rental Car

You’re on vacation in your rental car and get in an accident. What happens next? Who is liable? Will my insurance policy cover me? These are just a few of the questions you may ask yourself. The answers will vary depending on what rental car company you rent from and what insurance policy you have.

Female Driver Making Phone Call After Traffic Accident With Head In Hands.

Your Auto Insurance Policy

Most auto insurance policies will travel with you when you’re on the road within the United States. Just in case you should contact your insurance company before driving a rental car to make sure your particular policy will provide the coverage you need. In almost all cases, your insurance policy’s comprehensive and collision coverage will extend to a rental car. If you purchase the rental car company’s insurance, it will be treated as supplemental above your personal insurance policy.

When you get into an accident in a rental car, notify the rental car company and fill out an accident report form. The rental car companies will most likely charge your personal auto insurance before the rental insurance kicks in. If you have sufficient personal liability insurance, the rental car insurance will most likely not be necessary.

The Credit Card You Paid With

Some credit cards offer services for their customers such as offering insurance on rental cars paid for with the credit card. Check with your credit card company to see if this service is offered. Also, check with them before you rent to see what their limitations are on renting a vehicle. Some limitations can be time limits, for example: you have a rental car for 30 days and your credit card will only cover your rental for 2 weeks. If you do go this route, make sure you contact the credit card company immediately after the accident to get your information in their system as they will have a time limitation on claims after the accident.

The Rental Car Company

If you have full coverage for rental cars on your personal insurance and rental insurance on your credit card, you probably will not need the rental car company’s extra insurance coverage. So when is purchasing the rental car company insurance a good idea? There are a few situations where this would be a good idea. If you live in a city and do not have a car or auto insurance, the rental car company insurance is necessary. Before purchasing the rental car company’s extra insurance, make sure you read the contract very carefully and clarify with the rental agent exactly what is covered and what is not.

If you were injured in an accident involving a rental car, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Attorney Charles V. Contrada will explain your legal options, guide you through the process.

To speak to attorney Charles V. Contrada about a car accident in Ohio or Michigan, call 419.841.4400. Charles has helped thousands of individuals with car accident claims and will explain the legal options that are available to you. Call Contrada & Associates for comprehensive legal guidance that will help you to receive the most favorable outcome.