LIMO / SHUTTLE / TAXI CAB ACCIDENT ATTORNEY JAKE GUNTER. Call / TXT Jake Gunter (801) 373-6345.
Out-of-state visitors come to Utah every year for Utah’s amazing outdoors, Park City, ski resorts and much more.
If you have been in a car accident in a rental car, limousine, or a shuttle service, personal injury lawyer Jake Gunter can help. Let his nearly 20 years’ experience help you obtain a fair and adequate settlement.
SHUTTLE CAR ACCIDENT—TAXI CAB—LIMO CRASH BASICS.
(1). Owner Operator’s Insurance. When traveling from outside of Utah, your car insurance on your car back home still applies, just in difference ways. The first issue to determine when in a Utah limo or taxi cab car accident is to obtain the operator’s insurance information.
PIP Medical Pay Benefits. Most limo or shuttle services are required to have commercial car policies of insurance that will contain no-fault medical pay benefits. No-fault medical pay in Utah is called Utah Personal Injury Protection Benefits (“PIP”) and are attached mandatorily to every car policy of insurance sold in Utah. PIP medical pay benefits cover at a minimum of $3,000 of medical bills related to your limo accident.
Car Insurance Stacking. When you are seriously injured, you may need to stack your own car insurance in addition to whatever the limo service has for insurance. Insurance stacking is a complicated issue, especially when it comes to out-of-state policy language and when stacking can occur. Having a dedicated Utah personal injury attorney review your insurance coverages can free up extra settlement money, above what the limo or taxi cab service is offering.
(2). Medical Treatment. After your limo or shuttle service car accident, it is critical to get appropriate medical treatment documenting your injuries. Getting better should be your number one goal. But documenting your injuries is a close second because if you are hurt seriously, without timely documentation the insurance company will not believe you are hurt. You will not receive fair compensation for your injuries.
Example 1. Late MRI. Client is rear-ended in Park City, Utah, while riding in a limo. He sees the chiropractor for a month and symptoms don’t get any better. Instead of immediately seeking a lumbar MRI to diagnose his back injuries, he waits 9 months, trying to tough it out. Finally, the MRI taken 9 months later shows a herniated disc causing his leg numbness. The insurance company refuses to pay for his herniated disc, stating it was simply old age, or something else caused it in the 9 intervening months.
Example 2. Seeing the Wrong Type of Doctor. You are rear-ended in a taxi cab outside a Park City hotel. You head hits the inside of the car giving you a severe head injury. You try to tough it out, but eventually see a chiropractor one month later when the fuzziness won’t go away. The insurance company will not pay fair compensation for your serious head injury when the wrong doctor diagnosed it. Chiropractors don’t treat concussions. Neuropsychologists, neurologists and radiologists treat, fix, and diagnose head injuries.
Example 3. Overtreatment. Getting timely medical treatment is important. Getting the right type of doctor diagnosing your injuries is critical. If you are not getting better with your physical therapy or chiropractic treatment, you need to stop and consider your medical treatment options. You may have reached maximum medical improvement, or you may need to move on to a new medical modality, like pain management, or see a more specialized doctor. There is a progression of medical treatment from conservative to increasing aggressive and invasive treatment options for most injuries. Not knowing your medical treatment options can harm your case.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING A UTAH PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY
Especially if you are out-of-state, you likely will not know anybody in Utah to ask for a personal injury attorney recommendation.
Here are some questions to ask the attorney for your Utah limo or shuttle service car accident:
(1). Do you Specialize in Car Accidents? Really good personal injury lawyers only practice one or two types of law. Car accident law should be one of them. Don’t hire an attorney who does a little divorce, a little bankruptcy, and a few car accidents each year. This is like hiring a podiatrist to do your brain surgery.
Any credible car accident attorney in Utah that regularly practices injury work will have around 50 cases at all times. This is a good indicator you have found the right attorney.
(2). Do they Advertise Heavily on TV / Radio? Utah car accident attorneys who get new cases based on old client referrals tend to provide better results and better customer service. They have to be good, because they don’t advertise on TV to get new cases. Collision referrals tend to indicate the attorney knows their stuff. Heavy TV/Radio advertisers tend to hire young inexperienced attorneys.
(3). How Many Jury Trials Has the Attorney Conducted? There is a difference between a trial lawyer who regularly tries car accident cases to a jury and a personal injury attorney who always settles their cases. Courtroom attorneys get more money for their clients because the insurance companies know that this type of lawyer has the skill, guts, and money to go all the way to a jury trial when needed. The attorney that settles often will never get the best results because the insurance company has no risk of an excessive jury verdict.
(4). How Many Years Have You Been an Injury Lawyer? Great lawyers are rarely good out-of-the-gate. It takes years to hone courtroom skills and know the medicine involved in car accidents.
Hiring younger attorneys generally puts you at a disadvantage, both in the courtroom and in dealing with the insurance company. Civil injury trials are way less commons these days. Real jury trial experience doesn’t come fast or easy for most injury attorneys.
UTAH LIMO, TAXI OR SHUTTLE SERVICE CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY JAKE GUNTER. (801) 373-6345. FREE CONSULTATION. YOU DON’T OWN ME ANYTHING UNLESS YOU OBTAIN A SETTLEMENT.
