In the aftermath of a car accident, it’s important to stay on your toes when dealing with insurance adjusters. In a perfect world, these employees would fully understand your claim and help you receive just compensation. However, insurance companies are, well, companies. They have bottom lines to protect, which often leads the adjusters they hire to seek out any reason to reduce or deny your claim. That’s why it’s important to raise a few important questions when these insurers come calling. AM I BEING RECORDED? This is an important question to ask right at the start of the conversation. Knowing that your words are being put on tape — and may be used against you later — means you have to be very careful about what you say. IS THIS FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE OR PERSONAL INJURY? Usually, different adjusters handle different types of damages. One adjuster may call you to talk about the damage to your vehicle, while another will handle questions regarding your physical injuries. However, sometimes property adjusters will try to sneak in questions about your personal well- being, including seemingly innocuous questions like, “Are you feeling okay?” Be aware of these traps and limit discussion with an adjuster exclusively to the damages they are responsible for evaluating. WHO DO YOU WORK FOR? It’s best to establish which insurance adjuster you are talking to, one who represents your insurance or the other driver. If this adjuster works for the Finding a Personal Injury Lawyer Know What to Look For 5 Important Questions to Ask an Insurance Adjuster Most of us don’t put much thought into what to look for in a lawyer until we need one, which makes finding a personal injury attorney especially daunting. Life after a serious incident, such as a car crash, can be disorienting enough as it is. Finding someone you trust to represent you in such an important case is no small matter. It’s best to know what to look for at the outset. In a word, no. Each area of the law has its own nuances and considerations — a lawyer with three decades of experience in corporate law would be ill- prepared for a personal injury case, and vice versa. Ideally, you want to find an attorney with a proven track record of personal injury representation local to your state. This way, they aren’t just familiar with the ins and outs of dealing with the insurance companies and courts, they have a deep knowledge of local ordinances that may affect your case. WILL ANY LAWYER DO?
AN INSIDE JOB The Curious Case of the Disappearing Flags
Theft is a serious matter, made even more grave when the victims are fallen war heroes. Such was the situation that stumped police in Hudson, New York, in 2012.
The crime was first committed in July of the previous year. Flags had been placed around the graves of soldiers in Cedar Park Cemetery — only to go missing right around Independence Day. Veterans groups and locals were outraged and mystified by the crime. Some worried that a hate group was to blame, as the missing flags had adorned the graves of Jewish soldiers. Veterans worked to replace the flags, one by one, and right the wrong. No culprit was found, and the community moved on — until the following July, when the mystery repeated itself. Like the year before, flags were placed on veterans’ graves in honor of Independence Day, and again, they went missing sometime in the night, this time taken from the graves of African American Civil War soldiers. Cemetery caretaker and veteran Vincent Wallace was appalled, as was the rest of his community. “I just can’t comprehend the mindset that would allow someone to do this,” Wallace said. Determined to find out who was to blame, police put up surveillance cameras and recorded the goings-on in the cemetery. As they watched the tapes, sure enough, they saw one of the culprits sitting atop a gravestone with an empty flagpole in front of him. It was a groundhog.
Apparently, the wooden flagpoles attract groundhogs, something other groundskeepers have experienced as well.
“I’m glad we don’t have someone who has taken it upon themselves to desecrate the stones and the flags in front of them,” said Hudson mayor Bill Hallenbeck. “We can all rest a little easier knowing that it was a critter and not a human defacing our flags, especially those of the veterans,” added Hudson’s police commissioner.
HOW DO I FIND THE RIGHT ATTORNEY FOR ME?
Turns out Punxsutawney Phil has some very naughty cousins — ones who aren’t subject to the law.
After you narrow your search to experienced personal injury attorneys, it’s time to find one you trust with your case. Often, the best way to do this is to turn to any friends or family who have hired a personal injury lawyer in
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