d'Oliveira & Associates, p.c. - Personal Injury Lawyers

The answer is very simple. The insurance company’s objective is to offer you as little money as possible in order to settle your case. There are several things that a skilled attorney can do in order to make sure that you receive the best settlement possible for your case. This can include supervising your medical treatment to ensure that your doctors ordered the correct tests, collecting and monitoring your medical records to make sure they document any and all pain and suffering you have endured, guiding you regarding all aspects of your claim, and most importantly, negotiating with the insurance company to see that you receive the greatest possible settlement for your injuries.

In order to make sure that you receive the correct amount for your property damage claim you should have an insurance appraiser examine your vehicle at the auto body shop with your auto body repair man present. Your repair man should discuss your property damage claim with the claims adjustor directly. He is the best person, considering he will be the person fixing your vehicle, to negotiate the value of your property damage claim. This will help ensure you receive the correct amount of money you need to repair your vehicle.

In some cases you will run into the issue that the accident was caused by a driver who doesn’t have insurance, or by a driver of a hit-and-run automobile. In both of these situations they are considered “uninsured automobiles”. If you are hurt in an accident and the driver has no insurance, there are a few different things that you can do in order to receive the compensation you deserve. You may collect uninsured motorist benefits from the automobile you were in at the time the accident happened, and your insurance company is not allowed to raise your rates if you were not at fault. In some cases you may even be able collect uninsured motorist benefits from your automobile insurance company, or potentially any other automobiles insured and owned by members of your household.

If you were injured in an auto accident and it was not your fault, you may be entitled to medical bills, lost income and pain and suffering, among other losses. As your lawyer we will negotiate with the insurance company the most concerning pain and suffering. Insurance companies just do not value pain and suffering as being worth as much as we do. This is where our 28 years of experience as New Bedford auto accident lawyers can be incredibly important.

Massachusetts requires that every automobile have a minimum coverage of $20,000/$40,000. This means that the insurance company will pay up to $20,000 to each injured person, but no more than $40,000 total for all people hurt in the accident. Some car owners do carry more than these minimum limits. Under this coverage, only the insurance company for the person who is at fault pays. This will compensate any injured people for lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering and mental anguish, among other losses. In order to receive a settlement for pain and suffering with this coverage, you must have at least $2,000 in medical bills beforehand or have sustained a broken bone or a scar.

If the vehicle that you were injured in is registered in MA, PIP is an available option for you. Personal Injury Protection or PIP is most commonly referred to as “no fault” insurance. This means that even if you were considered at fault for the accident, you are able to obtain PIP benefits from the vehicle you were in, so long as the car is registered in MA. This will pay you or anyone else injured in your automobile for medical bills, funeral expenses, and 75% of lost wages. There is a maximum payment which is capped at $8,000 per person injured. If you have health insurance such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the no fault insurance carrier will be responsible for only the first $2,000 of the medical bills, and your private health insurance company may pay for the rest. If they do not pay the rest, PIP must pay the balance. Our experienced New Bedford car accident lawyers here can walk you through this complex law in Massachusetts.

d’Oliveira and Associates will not charge you any legal fees until you receive settlement or award for your injuries. Our firm does charge a typical 1/3 fee of your settlement or award. We will also pay for out of pocket costs such as to obtain medical records, etc. And we obtain these from you if and when you receive an award.