Posted by jack cain on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 at 2:19PM :
In Reply to: Re: PW Insurance posted by Mark S. on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 at 1:08PM :
I was involved in a minor accident last year. The damage to my truck (not my 48 PW) was about $1000. All my truck required was a realignment; a minor dent behind the wheel fixed and some paint in that area.
The other vehicle sustained about $3,000 dollars damage (bumper, hood and fender) and was drivable.
You would not have believed the wailing and crying coming from the other driver once the Police and Emergency Response arrived. The other driver was put in a neck brace and on a back board (I pity those poor firemen as she weighed about 300Lbs) and spent 3 days in the hospital with no discernable injuries.
After consulting an ambulance chasing lawyer and determing that I live in an affluent neighborhood, although my house is not and neither am I. The next thing you know a claim for $500,000 for "soft tissue" injuries, which cannot be ascertained through x-rays or cat scanning but mearly from the subjects complaints of how much pain they are in, ensued.
Thankfully my insurance company (USAA) fights each and every one of these type of claims.
Also, the disposable $8.00 dollar camera that I keep in the glovebox of each of my vehicles was invaluable in establishing the conditions that existed at the time of the accident. Yep! I was snapping pictures right after I was able to bring my truck to a stop.
Otherwise I might have been on the hook for a couple hundred grand if some jury (and I ain't about to trust any jury in Atlanta) had decided in her favor.
A couple of days later I went out and got personal liability coverage added to my homeowners policy in the amount of $1,000,00. It wasn't all that expensive either.