Author: Matt Lager
How to Hire an Erie Lawyer for a Car Accident
If you’ve been hurt in a car accident, you probably have friends and family telling you to “hire a lawyer.” But should you? How do you do it? Will it be expensive? Can you even afford it? When it comes our Erie personal injury lawyers, the answers to those questions are simple and not as hard as you might think.
What’s wrong?
After a car accident, you’re missing work, losing income, and amassing unpaid medical bills. Meanwhile, you’re getting calls and letters from insurance adjusters asking for you to give recorded statements, sign authorizations, and agree to quick, low-value settlements. Something doesn’t feel right and you don’t know what to do. That’s where our law firm comes in.
Our Erie, PA car accident lawyers will take control of the situation without charging you an upfront fee: we don’t charge you a fee unless we get you a recovery. We’ll get your medical bills paid, we’ll get you your lost wages, we’ll handle the insurance adjusters, and we’ll make sure you aren’t taken advantage when you’re hurt.
Can you handle it on your own?
Can you handle it on your own and call an attorney later if things get too hard? Sure…you could. But SHOULD you? Absolutely not! One of the biggest mistakes we see is people who call our lawyers too late—long after the damage is done. In those situations, we can still help, but those people almost always would have been better off calling us first. Think of it this way: would you rather call a lawyer to undo the damage you’ve done, or would you rather have your attorneys be on the offensive from day one? The sooner you hire a lawyer, the better your results can be.
What’s next?
If you’ve been hurt in a car accident, call our Erie, PA car accident lawyers at 814-452-6232 to schedule a free consultation. You’ll be glad you did. We’re local, well respected, and we know what we’re doing.
Who pays for an ambulance bill after a car accident?
You were involved in a car accident that wasn’t your fault and now you’re getting a $900.00 bill in the mail for an ambulance ride. Why should you have to pay it and what if you don’t have insurance? These are questions that our Erie, PA car accident lawyers get asked all the time, and they stem from how confusion laws concerning car accidents can be.
In Pennsylvania, one’s own car insurance ordinarily pays for medical treatment arising out of a car accident, regardless of fault. There are, of course, exceptions, but normally you aren’t forced to pay out of pocket and your health insurance company isn’t the primary payer unless the medical payments coverage on your policy is exhausted. If you receive a medical bill in the mail after a car accident in Pennsylvania, you should probably forward this bill to your own insurance company before writing a check.
That said, if you were injured in a car accident, this isn’t something you should be handling on your own anyway. Anything you do and any paper you sign could potentially jeopardize your rights to make a recovery for pain and suffering, lost wages, and other out-of-pocket expenses you’ve incurred as a result of this crash. Before doing anything, you should contact a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer immediately for a free consultation.
Our Erie, PA law firm helps injured victims obtain compensation for their injuries after a car accident. In addition to helping our clients obtain settlements and verdicts, we help facilitate medical payments through auto insurance as part of our representation. Additionally, we only charge our fee on a portion of the recovery we make. If we don’t get you a settlement, we don’t charge a fee. Anybody can afford our services. If you were hurt in an accident, call our office for a free consultation at 814-5-452-6232. We’re located a block west of the Erie County Courthouse and have been helping victims throughout Northwestern Pennsylvania since 1985.
Why did I receive a letter from Optum?
I received a letter from Optum. What do I do?
After you get medical treatment for an injury rather than a chronic illness, it’s not uncommon to receive a letter from a third-party subrogation company, such as Optum (or The Rawlings Company, Equian, First Recovery Group, etc.), on behalf of your health insurance company. Optum (or one of these other companies) is probably calling you to find out how you got hurt. If your injuries possibly give rise to a personal injury claim or a potential lawsuit (for example, a car accident, a work injury, a slip-and-fall accident, etc.), Optum wants to know, because it’s their job to find out if your health insurance company might have a right to be reimbursed out of your settlement. If you received a letter from Optum after a Pennsylvania car accident or personal injury, you should call our law firm immediately at 1-800-999-0750.
Should I reply to Optum’s letter or call them back?
Optum cannot make you sue somebody if you don’t want to sue them! That being said, you should still talk to a personal injury attorney before talking to Optum. You need to know your rights (and responsibilities) regarding this accident, your health insurance policy, your medical treatment, and your medical bills. Our personal injury law firm offers a free consultation that can be either over the phone or in person! Give us a call today at 814-452-6232.
DO NOT FORGET: If you were hurt because of someone else’s negligence, you should immediately give Optum’s letter to your attorney! If you have a lawyer, you should not be contacting Optum directly. You want your personal injury lawyer to know about Optum’s letter, because failure to properly consider your health insurance’s lien against your settlement could potentially have devastating consequences to both your case and your finances. The last thing you want is to settle your case for so little that you can’t pay back Optum, should they be entitled to some of the money!
If you were hurt in an accident but don’t have a lawyer, you should hire a personal injury attorney to contact Optum on your behalf. Our personal injury lawyers work on contingency and only get paid if we get you a financial recovery. We represent injured victims throughout Western Pennsylvania, from Pittsburgh, to Erie, and all the way to Bradford and Smethport.
What if I don’t want to sue the person who hurt me?
In Pennsylvania, Optum can’t make you sue somebody if you don’t want to sue them! That said, it is still a good idea to talk to a personal injury attorney before talking to Optum. You need to know your rights and responsibilities regarding this accident, your health insurance policy, your treatment, and your medical bills. Our law firm offers a free consultation that can be either over the phone or in person—you decide! Give us a call today at 814-452-6232.
Why did I receive a letter from The Rawlings Company?
I received a letter from The Rawlings Company. What do I do?
After you get medical treatment for an injury, it’s not uncommon to get a letter from a third-party subrogation company, like The Rawlings Company (or Equian, Optum, First Recovery Group, etc.), on behalf of your health insurance company. The Rawlings Company is most likely reaching out to you to discover out how you got hurt. If your injury possibly gives rise to a personal injury claim or a potential lawsuit (for example, a car accident, a work injury, a slip-and-fall accident, etc.), The Rawlings Company’s job is to find out, because your health insurance company might be legally entitled to reimbursement out of your personal injury settlement or verdict. If you received a letter from the Rawlings Company after a Pennsylvania car accident or personal injury, you should call our law firm immediately at 1-800-999-0750.
Should I respond to The Rawlings Company’s letter or call them back?
Whether or not you’re legally required to respond to The Rawlings Company after getting their letter is going to be written in your insurance policy with your health insurance company. In all likelihood, this is a document you probably never read. With that in mind, if you weren’t hurt in manner as to give rise to a compensable legal claim, you’re probably safe to call and let them know, at which point they should leave you alone.
If you were hurt in an accident that gives rise to any type of legal claim, you should immediately give The Rawlings Company’s letter to your attorney! If you already retained a lawyer, you should never contact The Rawlings Company directly. Additionally, you want your personal injury attorney to know about The Rawlings Company’s letter, because any failure to consider your health insurance’s lien against your settlement might have catastrophic consequences to both your case and your finances!
If you were hurt in an accident (at work, in a slip-and-fall, in a car, et cetera) but don’t have a lawyer, you should hire a personal injury attorney to contact The Rawlings Company on your behalf immediately. Our personal injury lawyers work on contingency and only get paid if we get you a financial recovery. We represent injury victims throughout Western Pennsylvania, from Pittsburgh, to Erie, and all the way to Bradford and Smethport! If you’re not from Pennsylvania, we might be able to help you find a local lawyer who can helo.
What if I don’t want to file a lawsuit against the person who caused my injury?
The Rawlings Company cannot force you to sue somebody that you don’t want to sue. However, it’s always a good idea to at least speak with a personal injury attorney before you talk to The Rawlings Company. You need to know your rights and responsibilities regarding this incident, your medical treatment, and your medical bills. Our law firm offers a free consultation that can be either over the phone or in person—you decide! Give us a call today at 814-452-6232.
Do I have to sign a Medical Authorization for the Insurance Company?
Signing a Medical Authorization for the Insurance Company after an Accident
As Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers, our new clients frequently ask us if they must sign a medical authorization for the insurance company after a car accident, after a work injury, or after a slip-and-fall accident. Given the numerous types of insurance claims out there, there is no universal answer, which is why it is always best to call an attorney to discuss your rights before giving the insurance company what they want. Sometimes the insurance company is entitled to a medical release or authorization, and sometimes they’re just trying to pressure you to give them more than they’re permitted by law. If an insurance company is requesting that you sign an authorization for your private medical records, you should call our law firm at 1-800-999-0750 to speak with an attorney for free.
Medical Authorizations and Insurance Claims for Negligence (Car Accidents, Slip-and-falls, etc.)
In Pennsylvania, if you’re making an insurance claim for compensation, lost wages, medical bills, pain and suffering, et cetera, against someone else’s insurance company, you do not normally need to sign an authorization for the other insurance company to fish through your medical records to look for reasons not to pay your claim. That said, the insurance company does need relevant medical records to determine the extent of your injuries and fairly evaluate your claim. With this, there is a delicate balance that must be struck, which is why you should always hire a personal injury law firm to represent you in your case. Our lawyers front expenses for medical records (which can cost hundreds of dollars), review your records, and provide the insurance company with reasonable, relevant medical records to support your claim. When the insurance company fights for more and starts issuing subpoenas, we fight to protect your privacy. If an insurance company is requesting that you sign an authorization, you should call our law firm at 1-800-999-0750 to speak with an attorney for free. Not only will we protect your privacy, we’ll help you fight for a fair outcome.
Medical Authorizations and First-Party Insurance Claims (PIP, MedPay, UM/UIM Benefits)
In Pennsylvania, when you’re making a claim for your own insurance coverage, completely different rules might apply. In many insurance policies, individuals seeking their own first-party coverage (like Personal Injury Protection / PIP, Med Pay, Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Benefits) contractually agree to provide their insurance company with executed authorizations such that their own insurer can gather whatever records they deem “reasonable” and “necessary.” While this discretion isn’t infinite, it is extremely broad. Failure to comply, in some instances, can result in a denied claim or worse. If your own insurance company is requesting that you sign an authorization, you should call our law firm at 1-800-999-0750 to speak with an attorney for free. We’ll review your policy and make sure your rights are protected.
Medical Authorizations and Workers’ Compensation Claims
In Pennsylvania, after a work injury, it seems like everybody wants to comb through your medical records to blame your injury on something (or someone) else. Even without you signing an authorization, treatment paid by workers’ compensation is normally exempted from HIPAA, which permits your medical providers to give your work-accident-related medical records to the workers’ compensation insurance carrier along with your accident-related bills. This exemption, however, isn’t unlimited. You do NOT need to sign authorizations for Nurse Case Managers (and, if you have been contacted a nurse case manager, you should read this article and call us immediately) and workers’ compensation insurance carriers are not permitted to embark on fishing expeditions throughout your entire medical history. Such behavior is especially important to avoid, given the close relationship between the workers’ compensation carrier and your employer. Why should your boss get to know about your medical history? If a workers’ compensation insurance company is demanding that you sign an authorization, you should call our law firm at 1-800-999-0750 to speak with an attorney for free. We’ll help protect both your privacy and your claim.
What should you do?
Regardless of what’s going on, if you’ve been injured and are dealing with an insurance adjuster who is pressuring you to sign an authorization for the insurance company to gather your personal medical records, you need a lawyer now. Call our personal injury law firm at 1-800-999-0750 for a free consultation with one of our experienced lawyers.
Motorcycle Accidents during Erie’s Roar on the Shore
With the 2019 Roar on the Shore event being moved from downtown Erie, PA to North East, PA at the Lake Erie Speedway, our Pennsylvania motorcycle accident attorneys anticipate an increase in the number of motorcycle accidents and injuries during this year’s event. Although we hope this projection proves to be untrue, it is an inescapable concern.
Although the Lake Erie Speedway appears to host a number of vendors to keep guests occupied, a large number of bikers will be traveling from North East to downtown Erie, PA to visit Erie’s many attractions, bars, and hotels. Given the nature of the event, we similarly expect a number of people to be traveling between the two locations after drinking, which always creates an increased risk of accident, injury, and wrongful death.
Regardless of the move, with 160,000 bikers and motorcycles brought to one location, there are bound to be accidents. If you’ve been hurt in a motorcycle accident, be sure to do the following:
- Save your receipts and medical bills;
- Take pictures of your bike and your injuries;
- Document your lost wages;
- Contact an experienced motorcycle accident attorney immediately;
- Do not talk to any insurance companies first.
Additionally, be aware that, in Pennsylvania, injured bikers (and their passengers) aren’t bound by “limited tort” and can always pursue a claim for pain and suffering. If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident in Erie, PA, call our experienced motorcycle accident lawyers for a free consultation.
Why did I receive a letter from Equian?
I received a letter from Equian, Rawlings, Optum, First Recovery Group, etc. What do I do?
After receiving medical treatment for an injury, it’s normal to receive a letter from a third-party subrogation company, such as Equian (or The Rawlings Company, Optum, First Recovery Group, etc.), on behalf of your health insurance company. Equian (or one of these other companies) is contacting you to find out how you got hurt. If you were hurt in such a manner as to create a personal injury claim or a potential lawsuit (for example, a car accident, a work injury, a slip-and-fall accident, etc.), Equian wants to know, because your health insurance company might have a right to be reimbursed out of your settlement. If you received a letter from Equian after a Pennsylvania car accident or personal injury, you should call our law firm immediately at 1-800-999-0750.
Should I respond to Equian’s letter or call them back?
Whether you have a duty to respond to Equian after receiving such a letter is going to be spelled out in your insurance policy with your health insurance company—a document you probably never read. If you weren’t hurt in any sort of accident, you’re probably safe to call and let them know, at which point they should stop sending you letters.
If you were hurt in an accident that might be someone else’s fault, you should immediately give Equian’s letter to your attorney. If you have a lawyer, you should not be contacting Equian directly. Additionally, you want your personal injury attorney to be aware of Equian’s letter, because failure to properly consider your health insurance’s lien against your settlement can have devastating consequences to both your case and your finances.
If you were hurt in an accident but don’t have an attorney, you should hire a personal injury attorney to contact Equian on your behalf. Our Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers work on contingency and only get paid if we get you a financial recovery. We represent injured victims throughout Western Pennsylvania, from Pittsburgh, to Erie, and all the way to Bradford and Smethport.
What if I don’t want to sue the person who hurt me?
Equian can’t make you sue somebody if you don’t want to sue them. That said, it is still a good idea to talk to a personal injury attorney before talking to Equian. You need to be aware of your rights and responsibilities regarding this accident, your treatment, and your medical bills. Our law firm offers a free consultation to injured Pennsylvanians that can be either over the phone or in person—you decide! Give us a call today at 814-452-6232.
Long Term Disability Insurance Making Me Apply for Social Security Disability
If you receive long-term disability insurance in Pennsylvania, your long-term disability insurance carrier will frequently make you apply for Social Security Disability. As Erie, PA Social Security Disability Lawyers, we frequently get calls asking about letters people have received from their insurance carriers threatening to cut off their benefits if they don’t apply for Social Security Disability. In this article, we will explain how these policies typically work and what your rights are. In short, you should probably file for disability and you should definitely hire your own lawyer to help—not the insurance company’s “lawyer” or “advocate.”
Your long-term disability insurer can make you apply for Social Security Disability
If you order a full copy of your long-term disability policy, you will most likely finding a clause that requires you to file for Social Security Disability. Failure to do so can often lead to your benefits being terminated, so it’s important to stay on top of this and find a skilled Social Security Disability lawyer to help you through the process. Although applying for Social Security Disability is most likely in your best interest, your insurance company requires you to apply for a very selfish reason: it reduces the amount of benefits the insurance company needs pay you (directly), because most policies allow the insurer to take an offset for any benefits paid to you by the Social Security Administration. As a practical matter, this offset is dollar-for-dollar, so you still receive the same amount of money at the end of the day: it just comes from two different sources (one check from the insurance company, and another check from the Social Security Administration). Be careful, though: if you win Social Security, your insurance company will most likely be entitled to all your past-due benefits. Be careful not to spend the past-due benefit check (however tempting it might be) and to check your policy to be sure who owns the money.
Can I hire my own Social Security Disability Lawyer if I’m on Long-Term Disability Insurance?
If you’re receiving long-term disability insurance, you are most likely being inundated with solicitations and letters from various “advocacy groups” offering to help you file for Social Security Disability benefits. Please be aware that you do not have to hire these groups: you can and should hire your own lawyer to look out for you and your rights. These “advocates” are disability mills and do not care about you, your family, or your case. They enter into contracts with insurance companies and do mass volume work. You won’t meet your “lawyer” until the day of the hearing and you’ll never speak to the same person twice (in fact, you’ll spend most of your time navigating phone menus and waiting “on hold”). When these companies lose your case, they’ll cut you loose and so will your insurance company, leaving you holding the bag. Instead of calling one of the groups that sent you a letter, call our Erie, PA Law Firm instead.
What will it cost to hire my own lawyer?
If you’re receiving long-term disability insurance and your insurer is requiring you to file or Social Security Disability, it likely won’t cost you anything to hire our law firm. Because we typically work on a contingent basis for a portion of your past-due benefits (nothing from your ongoing benefits), and because your long-term insurance carrier is most likely entitled to your past due benefits, our fee ends up coming out of the insurance company’s pocket—not yours. If you’re on long-term disability insurance need to apply (or have applied) for Social Security Disability benefits, you should call our lawyers today at 814-452-6232. We can help protect your rights and make sure your case is handled the right way. If you’re undecided, we offer free consultations.
Should I call the police after a minor car accident?
You should always call the police after a car accident
As Erie, PA car accident lawyers, we frequently get asked, “should I call the police after a minor car accident?” Without knowing anything else about the crash, we can confidently state that you should always call the police after a car accident, even if the damage to the vehicles was minimal and if even if you think nobody was hurt. As you sit there in the moment, you simply aren’t equipped to properly assess the situation. Police are. Let the experts do their work. Sometimes you don’t know you’re hurt until later that day, after your adrenaline wears off. Sometimes, people that admit fault on the scene later lie to their insurance companies. You need a witness.
Why should I call the police after a car accident?
The most important thing the police do after responding to a car accident, after making sure everybody is okay, is protecting evidence. The police will gather insurance information, get statements, and attempt to piece everything together while the accident scene is fresh and before things have been tampered with or moved. This helps keep all the parties honest: too frequently, at-fault parties will admit fault on the scene of the accident, only to later deny fault to their insurance companies after they’ve went home. You simply cannot rely on people to be honest. Moreover, it’s good to have an independent witness (the police officer) on the scene to remember what everyone told them.
Sometimes your insurance requires you to call the police after an accident
Although you’ve probably never read your entire car insurance policy, as personal injury lawyers, we have! If the person that hit you turns out to be uninsured, and you pay for uninsured motorist coverage, your Pennsylvania auto insurance policy almost certainly requires you to report the accident to the police as soon as you reasonably are able, else you risk your claim being denied. Making a police report immediately after the accident is the number one way to protect your rights under your insurance policy. The longer you wait, the easier it is to forget to make the report and the more likely your insurer is to deny your claim.
Police keep everybody safe
After an accident, it’s not uncommon for the at-fault party to become hostile and, sometimes, dangerous. Calling the police is a good way to keep everyone on their best behavior. When everybody knows the police are on their way, they’re less likely to do anything they might later regret.
What if the police refuse to respond to the scene of the accident?
If the police refuse to respond to the scene of the accident after you’ve called 9-1-1, it might simply be out of your control. Regardless, there will still be a record of your call and a brief report prepared at the station to satisfy your insurance company if the other driver turns out to be uninsured, as described above. This is normal—when they’re busy, police frequently won’t respond to the accident if nobody was injured. Just keep your cool, exchange insurance information, take pictures of the damage (and the license plates), and gather phone numbers of all the witnesses.
Do I need a lawyer after a car accident?
After a car accident, if you’ve been injured, you should call a Pennsylvania car accident attorney to protect your rights. Our personal injury lawyers have been representing injured victims in Pennsylvania since 1985 and can help recover your lost wages and medical bills. If you would like a free consultation, or just to talk to lawyer on the phone, call us at 814-452-6232.
ErieInjury.com Supports LEAF’s 14th Winterfest
The Erie Personal Injury Attorneys at Bernard Stuczynski Barnett & Lager are dedicated to working with and supporting our local community. We want to keep Erie beautiful, which is why we support and encourage our longtime office manager, Carol Witherow, in her endeavor as a volunteer LEAF (Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park) board member.
LEAF recently celebrated its 14th Annual Winterfest at Frontier Park, a free event that is open to the public. To support this event, our law firm donated a toboggan as a prize for event-goers. Pictured to the right are the winners of the our toboggan! Congratulations!