Last week, my daughter and I were in a wreck where we were rear-ended while sitting at a stoplight. It seemed like a low speed fender-bender but it has played out in unexpected ways that have taught me a couple of lessons.
On the same day of the wreck, I had to take Katie to the doctor because she was having back pain and some unusual nosebleeds. I remembered a friend's ordeal with her daughter's concussion and was concerned about that with Katie. Her doc agreed to screen her closely and there was no concussion (whew!). They were perplexed by the nosebleeds and agreed to keep an eye on her. They said the back pain should resolve in a few days. It didn't. Katie doesn't complain so it took me a while to figure out that she was still having pain. Her pediatrician referred us to a pediatric orthopedist. He took an x-ray and there doesn't appear to be a problem with her spine (whew again!) but she's been referred to a physical therapist and will start that next week. (Katie and I have also had a talk about telling me when she's hurting so I can help or at least keep things from getting worse.)
I have also been dealing with the other driver's insurance, which is through Progressive, and that's where things have gotten weird. I understand we live in a litigious society where some folks feel no compunction about faking an injury or suing to milk the company out of every possibly penny. I get that. But that's not me. I have only asked that my car be repaired and Katie's bills be paid, but that's not what they've done. Under the guise of "helping me" they made what seemed like a semithreatening statement that they might just total my car and one way to avoid that was to accept a check from them based on pictures rather than a real estimate from a body shop. (My car is old but nowhere near being totaled). To be fair, they also mentioned that I could get my own estimate and that’s what I did. It turns out the impact of the crash broke two motor mounts. If I'd just used their app to take pictures of my bumper, as recommended, this would have been missed. They also keep trying to get me to accept a set amount and limited payment timeline for Katie's medical treatment and keep dangling extra money -- hundreds of dollars more than I asked for -- that I "can have today" if I go to their office in Norcross and agree to their settlement now.
I have no idea how much Katie's treatment will cost or how long it will take and I'm guessing it will resolve quickly, but I also guessed her pain would go away in a couple of days, so who knows? The only thing I've ever asked is for them to fix my car and pay for her medical bills but their “let’s bargain” response has turned me into that persistent paperboy from Better Off Dead. "Two dollars. I want my two dollars."
I get that they believe they have to play defense with me but treating me like a potential plaintiff is making me want to become one. I now understand why people hire attorneys. When I feel like I’m getting the run-around -- we are still dithering about fixing my car 10 days after I first called them?? -- along with pressure to settle before all the medical bills are in, and an offer of money to buy me off that makes me feel dirty every time it's mentioned, it makes me want to call Morgan and Morgan.
The lessons I'm taking away are:
1. Always get an estimate from a reputable body shop and tell them everything you noticed about the wreck. The body guy figured out the engine mounts were broken when I told him my car engine had steamed for 30 seconds or so after the impact, which is atypical for a rear-end collision.
2. Always get checked out if you have any pain after an accident and never assume it will just go away in a couple of days.
3. Never accept anything the insurance offers initially if there's even a remote, unlikely possibility of injury. Wait until any pain completely resolves and the doctor gives you the all-clear before finalizing anything.
4. Make the company pay what they are obligated to. This is particularly important for the ladies, because I’m like most women in that I've been raised to be nice and not make waves. I don’t think we have to choose between being nice and getting what is reasonably owed. My motto is “don't be a jerk but don't confuse being nice with being a doormat, either.”
The question I'm left with is how many personal injury lawsuits are self-fulfilling prophecies for the insurance companies? If they just paid what they owe and dealt with people more straightforwardly, would they avoid irritating nonlitigious people like me?
#StillNotSuing #ButHoldingMyGround #HelpMeOutFlo
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