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January/February 2023
THE HARMAN HEADLINE
HARMAN LAW
Personal Injury, Workers’ Compensation, and Employment Lawyers
SAVE YOURSELF FROM DEBT IN 2023 DOUBLE-CHECK YOUR INSURANCE COVERAGE!
1. UNDERINSURED MOTORIST (UIM)
Last year, my team and I went to bat for a client struggling under a mountain of medical debt. I’ll call him Steve. Steve was a lucky guy. He survived a devastating car crash and made it home to his family after a painful recovery. But he had a problem: His treatment left him with more than $100,000 in medical bills. The crash wasn’t Steve’s fault — another driver hit him . Unfortunately, the other driver only had $30,000 of liability insurance coverage. My team and I had to give Steve the bad news: Even though he deserved more than $100,000 to take care of his debt, because of the insurance involved, the most he could hope for was $30,000. Steve ended up with over $70,000 in medical debt. The really heartbreaking thing for me was that Steve could have avoided this debt if he had been more proactive about his car insurance. If he had the right type of coverage in the correct amounts before his crash, he would have been safe from debt. I see people in Steve’s situation all the time — and I don’t want you to be one of them. To protect yourself from financial ruin, double- check your policy and ensure you have these four types of coverage.
INSURANCE ABOVE THE POLICY LIMIT. In North Carolina, you must have a minimum of $30,000 of uninsured motorist (UM) coverage, which protects you if you’re in a car crash and the other driver doesn’t have insurance. You can also buy additional under insured motorist (UIM) coverage, which protects you from drivers without enough insurance to cover the damages from a crash. I highly recommend buying extra UIM — because having only $30,000 in UIM is almost useless. Due to a quirk in North Carolina law, if you get into a wreck with someone who has $30,000 of liability coverage and you have $30,000 of UIM coverage, your coverage doesn’t stack. The most compensation you’ll get is $30,000. However, if you purchase extra UIM coverage (say, bringing your total to $100,000), then your coverage will stack. You will be able to get up to $70,000 of compensation ($100,000 minus $30,000). It’s a much better deal! 2. GAP INSURANCE. Many people are “upside down” in their vehicles, meaning they owe more money in car payments than their vehicle is worth. If you’re in this situation and get in a wreck, the other party’s insurance will only pay the amount your car is worth — not how much you owe. This means if your car is worth $10,000 and you still owe $15,000 on it, you could end up $5,000 in the hole. The best way to avoid this is to purchase gap insurance, which is designed to “close the gap” and pay off the remainder of your loan.
3. MEDICAL PAYMENT COVERAGE. Suppose you add this type of insurance to your regular liability coverage and end up in a crash caused by another driver. In that case, your insurance company will pay for your medical bills. Medical payment coverage is relatively inexpensive, and everyone should have it. 4. RENTAL COVERAGE. Imagine you get in a car crash, and your car is totaled. You need a rental car to get to work, but the other driver’s insurance won’t cover it until they establish liability — which can take 2–3weeks. How do you pay for your rental in the meantime? If you have rental coverage, you won’t even have to worry about that. I hope you already have all four of these insurance types, or at least the first two! If not, make it a priority to invest in them this year. Your monthly bill will go up a little, but a car crash won’t bankrupt you.
“The really heartbreaking thing for me was that Steve could have avoided this debt if he had been more proactive about his car insurance.”
–Michael Harman
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Unwavering Client Experience. Outstanding Results. – Call Us Today 704-237-6613
Want to Try Something New This Winter? Check Out These 3 Unique Activities
Throughout winter, we have the opportunity to participate in many activities that are only possible during this season. We can ski, snowboard, snowshoe, sled, and more. While some people fly south for winter vacations to escape the cold weather, others travel to extraordinary winter
and glaciers. Many of these tours will lead you right past moose, bears, and caribou as you take in the beauty of Alaska’s environment.
SKATING ON MIRROR LAKE AT LAKE PLACID Lake Placid, New York, had the privilege of hosting the Winter Olympics twice, so it’s no surprise they have some amazing cold weather activities to showcase. A truly exceptional experience is skating on Mirror Lake. They have a 2-mile-long ice track where you can test your speed and areas for people to skate openly or play a game of ice hockey. You can even participate in dog sledding there. It’s a beautiful area filled with various winter activities. ICE FISHING EXCURSIONS IN BRAINERD, MINNESOTA While fishing might be more commonly known as a spring or summer activity, you can get plenty of fishing done in the winter if you know where to go. Brainerd is considered one of the best places to visit for ice fishing enthusiasts. There are over 300 fishing lakes near the city, and you can expect to catch bluegill, walleye, largemouth bass, yellow perch, northern pike, and many others. If you like to fish throughout the year, check out Brainerd.
destinations within our country. Plenty of options are available if you’re looking for a truly unique experience this winter. Here are three winter activities that will leave you with long-lasting memories. SNOWMOBILE TOURS IN ALASKA Alaska is one of America’s hidden gems, even though it’s the biggest U.S. state. If you’re looking for unique winter experiences, you’ll want to visit Alaska. One of the coolest adventures you can experience is a snowmobile tour. You can hop aboard a snowmobile and ride the same path as the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race or visit some beautiful mountains
The Differences Between Car andTruck Accidents
THEY’RE MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN YOU THINK!
1. TRUCK CRASHES CAUSE MORE
also lease their trucks from separate businesses. That means their employer, the truck owner, and the trucker can all get involved in the case. It’s more difficult to discover who is at fault and which insurance company should pay for damages than it would be in a car crash. The advice we shared at the start of this article is 100% correct. If you or someone you love has been in a truck crash, you shouldn’t just go to any attorney — you should call a lawyer like Michael Harman, who has experience handling truck crash cases and all of their complications. Hopefully, you don’t know anyone who needs our help, but the holidays are a particularly dangerous time for truck crashes. More semis are on the road than ever, carrying presents across the country. If someone you know needs our help, please share our phone number. We’re ready to put our experience to work.
SERIOUS INJURIES, WHICH MAY LEAD TO LARGER SETTLEMENTS. A loaded semitrailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. That’s 40 tons of rubber and steel! If a semi hits you, it will cause a lot more damage than a car. In 2016 alone, more than 150 people died in North Carolina in over 14,000 truck accidents. Deaths and serious injuries are much more common in truck accidents, which means they often involve larger settlements. 2. TRUCK CRASHES OFTEN BECOME MORE COMPLICATED LEGAL CASES. Most car crashes are simple: They involve two private citizens driving their own vehicles and end in an auto insurance payout. Truck crashes can be a lot more complicated.
If you or someone you know has been in an accident involving a tractor-trailer, you may have heard this advice: “Don’t just call a car crash attorney. Make sure you find someone who specializes in truck crashes.” You might have thought that person was pulling your leg. After all, cars and trucks seem pretty similar. They both drive on the road and have to follow traffic laws. However, the truth is that these two types of crashes can be very different — for several reasons.
Most tractor-trailer drivers work for large companies, and sometimes they
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Unwavering Client Experience. Outstanding Results. – HarmanLawNC.com
SUDOKU
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TRUST! YOUR REFERRALS KEEP OUR FIRM IN BUSINESS
January is National Thank-You Month, and when I heard about it, one person immediately came to mind: you!
Solution on Page 4
If you’re reading this, you’ve either worked with our team yourself, sent someone to us for help, or both. Either way, I genuinely appreciate the trust you’ve placed in us. When you hire a lawyer or pick one out of the pack to recommend to someone else, you declare confidence in that person. It means a lot that you would choose Harman Law to fight for and protect the people you care about. Your support and referrals have helped me take our firm to the next level. As I said in last month’s newsletter, 2022 was a record year for Harman Law — which means it was a record year for our clients! We helped more people and won bigger settlements for them than ever before. That wouldn’t have been possible without your trust, faith, and support. I’m looking forward to helping more of your friends, family members, and clients in 2023. When they need our expertise, they can call us at 704-237-6613 or email Referrals@HarmanLawNC.com, and we’ll start working on their case right away. Hopefully, you won’t need our services again personally, but if you do, my team and I are here to help you as well. Whether you’re injured in a car crash, get hurt at work, end up stuck in the middle of a discrimination or wrongful termination case, or simply need a will drawn up, we’re ready to make it happen. As the Nobel Prize-winning doctor Albert Schweitzer once said, “The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others.” I truly believe that, and I plan to follow his words in 2023. If I can do something for you today, just say the word!
SLOW COOKER CHICKEN AND WHITE BEAN STEW
INGREDIENTS •
4 15-oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• • • • • •
4 cups chopped kale 1 tbsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• • • •
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 tsp ground pepper 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup parsley leaves
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary 1 4-oz Parmesan cheese rind
• •
2 1-lb bone-in chicken breasts
•
DIRECTIONS 1.
In a 6-quart slow cooker, combine beans, broth, onion, carrots, rosemary, and Parmesan rind. Top with chicken. Cover and cook on low until the beans and vegetables are tender, about 7–8 hours. 2. Remove chicken from slow cooker. On a clean cutting board, let the chicken rest until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Shred the chicken and discard bones. 3. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in kale. Cover and cook on high until kale is tender, 20–30 minutes. 4. Stir in lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Discard the Parmesan rind. Serve the stew drizzled with oil and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and parsley.
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Unwavering Client Experience. Outstanding Results. – Call Us Today 704-237-6613
16507 Northcross Drive, Suite B Huntersville, NC, 28078 Offices in Lake Norman, Charlotte, and Hickory 704-237-6613 HarmanLawNC.com
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Inside This Issue
The Resolution You Didn’t Know You Needed Page 1 3 Unique Winter Activities to Experience The Differences Between Car and Truck Accidents Page 2
Sudoku Solution
Slow Cooker Chicken and White Bean Stew A Thank-You Note From Michael Page 3 How Fantasy Sports Became Popular Page 4
WHEN DID FANTASY SPORTS BECOME SO POPULAR? A Game With 60 Years of Progress
team and throws a touchdown in real life, your team also earns points. While it might seem like fantasy sports are a product of the internet, their history actually spans over five decades. Fantasy sports began in 1962 when Wilfred Winkenbach and other members of the Oakland Raiders organization created the initial rules for what would eventually develop into fantasy football. In 1963, the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League held the first fantasy football draft; George Blanda was the first pick. Six years later, the first public fantasy football league opened to Kings X Sports Bar patrons in Oakland. 1980 saw the beginning of fantasy baseball and the Rotisserie scoring system still used today in fantasy baseball, hockey, and basketball. The following year, the MLB went on strike, which caused many sports journalists to write about fantasy baseball in its place, catapulting its popularity. By 1989, over a million people were playing fantasy football. Then the internet
became mainstream, allowing even more people to familiarize themselves with fantasy sports.
Yahoo launched the first free-to-play fantasy sports platform in 1999, giving more people the opportunity to join a league and learn how to play. ESPN and other sites soon followed suit; by 2006, more than 12 million people were playing fantasy football. When Facebook and Twitter launched in the early 2000s, people had more platforms to share their opinions, which helped the industry grow. In 2009, FanDuel launched a pay-to-play daily fantasy sports platform that allowed fans to choose players for a specific day or game and place a bet on their lineup. Now, 59 million fantasy sports players participate across the globe, and that number continues to grow. The current global fantasy sports market is estimated to be worth around $22.3 billion and is predicted to rise to $38.6 billion by 2025. If you haven’t played fantasy sports before, now is the time to start. You may just discover a new favorite hobby.
Fantasy sports continue to grow in popularity every single year. It’s rare to meet someone who has never heard of or played in a fantasy sports league. For those unfamiliar, fantasy sports are games where participants build imaginary teams using real-life players. Scores are generated on individual performances from players on your team, so if Tom Brady is on your fantasy
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Unwavering Client Experience. Outstanding Results. – HarmanLawNC.com
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