When should you start preparing for an accident?  Simple answer – when you purchase your automobile insurance policy.  All too often I hear the phrase “I have full coverage” from victims of car accidents, and once I tell them that there is no such thing as “full coverage”, I see a look of confusion on their faces.

That is correct – there is no such thing as “full coverage” when it comes to an auto policy.  So, why is the phrase used?  What people generally believe to be “full coverage” simply means the insurance policy contains the required liability coverage, comprehensive and collision coverage- nothing more.

Is there more under an insurance policy that is important?  Yes.  Imagine the following scenario, which is very common – you purchase liability, comprehensive and collision coverage for your brand new car which you are financing.  Three months later, you are struck in an intersection when an uninsured motorist runs a red light and slams into you.

Property Damage

Your car sustains major damage and is towed to a repair shop, where it is stored until a property evaluator hired by your auto insurance company goes to the shop and deems that the car is totaled.  In the meantime, you have incurred towing and storage charges.   Does the auto insurance policy you purchased pay for these costs?  No.  So, who is responsible for those charges?  You.

Why?  Because the policy you purchased (which you believed to be “full coverage”) would not include coverage for rental and storage fees.

What if the amount you receive (as property damage) from the insurance company is not enough to pay off what is owed to the finance company?  For example, you receive $22,500 for your car, but you owe $25,000 to the financing company – who is responsible for the difference?  You.

Why?  Because the policy you purchased would not include Gap Insurance.  Click here for more information on Gap Insurance.

Personal Injuries and Medical Treatment

In the accident, you are also injured and taken to the Emergency Room by ambulance.  Thereafter, you need treatment for your injuries and you have no health insurance.  So, who would be responsible for paying your medical bills and treatment (ambulance, emergency room, etc.)?  You.

Why?  Because the auto insurance policy you purchased does not include Medpay or Uninsured Motorist coverage.

Click here for more information on Medpay.

Click here for more information on Uninsured Motorist Coverage.

Remember that the driver of the other vehicle has no insurance.  You can always go after him/her legally, but chances are that if this person did not care enough or have the money to pay for car insurance, then you won’t be able to get anything out of him/her.

So, how do you protect yourself when purchasing car insurance

1.    Never buy insurance online.  Always speak with a reputable agent and ask your agent what the policy covers.  (Footnote:  Do not purchase insurance from Mercury Insurance.  If you get into an accident, they will fight to reimburse you on your medical bills and are notorious for undermining the rights of their own insureds.  In fact, Mercury Insurance has been fined millions of dollars, by the Insurance Commissioner, for unlawful business practices involving their own insureds.)

2.    Ask that your policy covers rental and towing charges.

3.    Ask your agent about Medical Payment coverage on your auto policy, generally referred to as “Medpay” or “PIP”.  With this coverage, you can use your auto policy (up to the policy limit for Medpay) to pay for your and your passengers’ reasonable medical expenses, including ambulance, the Emergency Room, and chiropractic treatments.

4.    Ask your agent about uninsured/underinsured coverage.  With this coverage, you are covered for medical bills and potentially pain and suffering if the other driver has no insurance or has an insufficient amount of insurance.

5.    Ask your agent about gap coverage.  With this coverage, if you finance your automobile and the pay out value is less than what you owe on the car, then your policy will pay for the difference, i.e. bridge the gap.

So, protect yourself in a car accident from the beginning by purchasing proper coverage from a reputable insurance agent (and not from Mercury Insurance).

Accidents are sometimes inevitable.  When they happen, we help you get through it.  If you have been injured in an accident, a slip and fall or have been bitten by a dog and wish to speak with an attorney, please contact Mason Rashtian at (661) 362-0805 or (818) 700-8422, or email us at mason@mrscvlaw.com for a free case evaluation.

We have offices in Santa Clarita, Sherman Oaks and Pasadena.  Mason Rashtian is an experienced attorney who has been litigating cases since 1997 and is “AV” Rated with Martindale-Hubble, which is the highest possible rating an attorney can achieve in both legal ability and legal standard.  There is never a fee unless there is recovery in the case.

For more information, please visit our website at

http://mrscvlaw.com

http://scvinjuryline.com

http://sfvalleylaw.com

We recently handled a car accident case where our client was driving a Chevrolet Dually.  A dually is generally referred to a vehicle or a pickup truck with two sets of rear wheels on one axle, i.e. it has six (6) wheels.

In the accident, our client suffered a broken wrist which resulted in surgery.  Unfortunately, the other driver only carried a minimum policy with $15,000 in coverage, which was not enough to cover our client’s medical bills and pain and suffering.  Hence, we had to submit an underinsured claim to our client’s automobile policy.  This is where we ran into a problem.

Our client’s auto policy with Mercury Insurance included a provision that defined Automobiles as “any self-propelled motor vehicle, with neither more than nor less than four wheels …”  Because our client was driving a dually (which has 6 wheels), Mercury denied coverage on the policy and our client cannot seek recovery under his uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

So, if you are going to drive a dually, even if for one day, first check with your insurance agent to determine if you are covered under the policy.  Keep in mind that this is NOT limited to uninsured/underinsured motorist claims – if you get into an accident with a dually and it is your fault, your insurance policy may NOT cover you.

This tip is brought to you by The Mason Law Firm.  Accidents are sometimes inevitable.  When they happen, we help you get through it.  For more information, please visit our website at

http://mrscvlaw.com

http://scvinjuryline.com

http://sfvalleylaw.com

Yes – it is very important to take photographs of your injuries after a car accident, a slip and fall or a dog bite.  However, it is equally important that you print those photos and keep additional copies.

This may sound logical and simple, but you would be surprised to find out how many people forget to print out photographs they took or down load them onto their computer and one day, when they are asked for those photos, they realize that they no longer have the camera or the cell phone they used to take those photos.  Yes – it does happen.

Accidents are sometimes inevitable.  When they happen, we help you get through it.  If you have been injured in an accident, a slip and fall or have been bitten by a dog and wish to speak with an attorney, please contact Mason Rashtian at (661) 362-0805 or (818) 700-8422, or email us at mason@mrscvlaw.com for a free case evaluation.  We have offices in Santa Clarita, Sherman Oaks and Pasadena.  Mason Rashtian is an experienced attorney who has been litigating cases since 1997 and is “AV” Rated with Martindale-Hubble, which is the highest possible rating an attorney can achieve in both legal ability and legal standard.  There is never a fee unless there is recovery in the case.

For more information, please visit our website at

http://mrscvlaw.com

http://scvinjuryline.com

http://sfvalleylaw.com

There are two major mistakes that accident victims sometimes make which drastically reduces the value of their injury case.  What are they?

Many times, after an accident, a slip and fall, a construction site accident, or a dog bite, the injured party will wait to get treated or limit his or her treatment.  These are two major mistakes that can, and often times do, reduce the value of the injury party’s case.  Why?

Any delay in treatment will be used by the insurance company to attack the claim.  Further, the amount of one’s medical bills is generally used to determine the value of the party’s pain and suffering.  So, the higher the medical bills, the more likely it is that the injured party may get higher general damages (i.e. pain and suffering).

The main excuses used by injured parties to explain the delay or lack of treatment include:  (1) I don’t know where to go or who to see, (2) I don’t have insurance and don’t have the money to pay for treatment, and (3) I don’t have time to get treated.  Unfortunately, these excuses rarely work.  Why?

Often times, health care providers, such as orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors and physical therapists will agree to treat an injured party on a lien basis.  This means that the health care provider will agree to treat the injured party and get paid once the injured party’s personal injury case is resolved.

However, these health care providers will generally ask that the injured party be represented by an attorney.  This places them at ease that there will be someone who will be in charge of the lien and in charge of getting the case resolved.  This is why it is very important to contact an attorney who specializes in personal injury matters because such an attorney can set you up with a health care provider who will provide treatment on a lien basis.

The other excuse for delaying or not getting treatment is lack of time.  This also does not work because the argument is “if  you are truly hurt, you will find time to get treated.”  It should be noted that an injured party needs treatment regardless of whether he or she wants to seek damages in a personal injury case because without treatment, the injury party can develop scar tissue which would lead to long term problems.

If you have been injured because of an accident, slip and fall, dog bite, etc. and wish to speak with an attorney, please Mason Rashtian at (661) 362-0805 or (818) 700-8422, or email us at mason@mrscvlaw.com for a free case evaluation.  We have offices in Santa Clarita, Sherman Oaks and Pasadena.  Mason Rashtian is an experienced attorney who has been litigating cases since 1997 and is “AV” Rated with Martindale-Hubble, which is the highest possible rating an attorney can achieve in both legal ability and legal standard.  There is never a fee unless there is recovery in the case.

For more information, please visit our website at

http://mrscvlaw.com

http://scvinjuryline.com

http://sfvalleylaw.com