Automobile Accidents
Attorney in Fairhope ALOur firm has three Automobile Accident Attorneys who focus on protecting the rights of individuals who have been wronged or injured by others. The following information is solely provided to give you a general idea of the law under Automobile Accidents. If you believe you need a lawyer or need further information, call our office in Fairhope or click here.
Experienced Automobile Accident Attorneys
Our firm represents victims in auto accident cases where there is an injury due to the negligence of someone else. Most of the time, the cases involve a negligent driver running a red light or stop sign and crashing their vehicle into the victim, causing severe injury or sometimes death.
Have you been injured?
If you have been in a car accident and suffered injuries, make sure to immediately go to the emergency room for treatment. The longer you wait to receive treatment, the more difficult it is to prove that the injuries you sustained were related to the accident. Our Automobile Accident Attorneys have handled automobile accident cases stemming from minor injuries to death all throughout Alabama.
If you have been involved in an accident that was not your fault, you should quickly consult us to determine what your rights are and how you can receive compensation.
Do not talk to Insurance Companies!
Do not discuss your case with anyone from the insurance company, yours or the at-fault drivers until you have spoken to our Automobile Accident Attorneys about your claims. Many of the cases where we represent accident victims settle out of court which means a quicker monetary recovery for you. Our firm handles these types of cases on a contingency basis and we don’t get paid until you do.
Attorneys at Underwood & Riemer have extensive experience in auto accident cases. Please feel free to contact us to discuss your claim.
Car Insurance FAQ’s
Insurers keep proprietary databases on car prices, similar to the Blue Book or the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA) Official Used Car Guide. The insurer’s valuation of your car is mostly based on its age. So, your car might be totaled if it’s thirteen years old and receives only minor damage, and it might not be if it’s a brand new Porsche that has been in a devastating collision.
If negotiation doesn’t bring any results, you can try to resolve the matter either through arbitration or litigation. But before doing that, it may be worth asking a lawyer if he or she can help get a more favorable settlement informally.
Arbitration, which is less of a hassle and less expensive than going to court, will usually result in a decision favorable to the insurance company. Insurance companies are practiced at arbitration, and arbitrators have to deal with them all the time. Some arbitrators don’t want to get the companies upset. Having an attorney at arbitration will increase your odds. However, the best bet, if you’re going to try arbitration, is to see if nonbinding arbitration is an option. That way, you can still take the matter to court if you are not satisfied.
Going to court is rarely a cost-effective option. Unless the matter (a car) was extremely valuable, and the insurance company’s offer is a tiny fraction of what you believe the vehicle was worth, you may spend more in attorney fees and costs than the amount you might recover.
When a car is severely damaged, it is usually taken to a salvage yard, auctioned off, and chopped up for parts. The insurance company keeps the money it got at the auction.
If you decide you want to keep your car and repair it, you should be able to do so. Many insurers will usually return the car to you if you request it, but this may vary from carrier to carrier. Certain insurers won’t return a car if it’s rare or newer, and the insurer thinks it will get a substantial sum at auction. Unfortunately, this is a bad time to find out whether your insurance company is policy-holder friendly or not.
If your car is returned, the insurer will pay you the car’s actual cash value, minus your deductible and, in some cases, the amount the company would have received in an auction. Then you’re going to have to pay for repairs. To get back on the road, the car will have to pass a Department of Motor Vehicles inspection and insurers can refuse coverage for a totaled car beyond basic liability insurance unless the car passes. If you want complete coverage on your totaled car again, you will have to have it completely repaired.
Buying insurance from a customer-friendly company is your strongest protection against hassles after an accident happens. When shopping for insurance, ask at what percentage of the vehicle’s worth a company will total a car. Some will total a car when damage exceeds 51 percent of its worth, while others will total a car when damage exceeds 80 percent of its worth. Also, ask about the company’s policies for returning a totaled car. If the company won’t return totaled cars or decides whether to do so on a mysterious “case by case” basis, you may want to keep looking for a company that puts a higher priority on its customers’ needs.
Insurers keep proprietary databases on car prices, similar to the Blue Book or the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA) Official Used Car Guide. The insurer’s valuation of your car is mostly based on its age. So, your car might be totaled if it’s thirteen years old and receives only minor damage, and it might not be if it’s a brand new Porsche that has been in a devastating collision.
If you look at your auto insurance contract, you’ll notice a provision that if your car is damaged in an accident, your insurer doesn’t have to pay you more than your auto is worth. If it would cost more to fix the car than a certain percentage of the car’s value, your insurer will consider your car a total loss, i.e., “total” it. All you’ll be able to get is a check for the value of the car. This is bad because it usually won’t be enough to replace your car, and it won’t be enough to fix it. Plus, if you get back your car and use the money to fix it, insurers may refuse to provide more than basic liability coverage on it.