People often do not know what to say to the insurance company after a car accident.  Never be rude to your insurance or the other party's insurance company.  Kindness gets you further at the beginning. The insurance company will ask you to provide a statement as to what happened in the accident. Saying the wrong thing can cause a huge problem in the future.  Omitting key information can cause problems in the future. You are not required to give a statement about the accident right away. Simply tell the insurance company you are not feeling well and prefer to give a statement a some future time. Sometimes you do not feel the full extent of your injuries for a few days and perhaps a couple of weeks after the accident. You do not want to misrepresent yourself as being 'not that hurt' when in a day or two later the pain starts to feel worse. The insurance adjusters work for the insurance company and it's their job to pay out as little as possible regarding your injuries. They will try to find ways to blame your injury on something else or minimize the full extent of the injuries.  Do not fall for this tactic. The insurance company is not your friend once you open an car accident injury claim. The insurance is only your friend when you are giving them money (eg. paying your car insurance bill). When you open a claim, you are now creating a situation where they are now going to give you money. Insurance companies try not to give out money easily. You may want to talk to a good personal injury lawyer before giving a statement to the insurance company.


Dr. Wade Burbank, Chiropractor *
6403 NE 117th Ave #108
Vancouver WA 98662
ph 360-567-1739

www.chiropractorvancouverwa.com

*20 year specialist in treating car accident injuries, work place injuries, and neck and back pain.

I have seen and talked to many many people who have gone through the process of dealing with car insurance companies. It is important to know how the system works so you get treated properly and fairly.

The person who causes the accident eventual should pay for the car repairs. This means the insurance company of the at-fault driver pays for the car repairs for all the vehicles damaged in the accident. If the damage to the cars is too expensive to fix or impossible to fix the insurance company deems the car as "totaled" (meaning a total write off) because it is not worth fixing. The cost of the repair would be more than the worth of the car.

Get estimates from a couple of auto body shops to determine how much it would cost to fix your car. Do NOT go to the auto body shop the insurance company recommends. These kind of shops often do cheap and often poor repair jobs which is what the insurance company wants.... CHEAP! Cheap often means your car is not repaired to the quality you want or deserve.

Do not always take the first offer the car insurance gives you if your car is totaled. They will often give a low ball offer to see if you are uneducated about the system of insurance claims. Negotiate for a higher money offer if you feel they are not giving you enough money to replace the value of your damaged car. Everything is negotiable in the insurance industry.


Dr. Wade Burbank, Chiropractor *
6403 NE 117th Ave #108
Vancouver WA 98662
ph 360-567-1739

www.chiropractorvancouverwa.com

*20 year specialist in treating car accident injuries, work place injuries, and neck and back pain.

Do not delay getting medical attention after an accident. Often people who get injured in an accident wait to see a doctor because they think the problem will simply go away on its own.  Frequently, this is not true. Forces involved in car accidents are much higher than your average everyday bumps and bruises from falls etc. If you delay seeing a doctor, the insurance company may say that you were really not that hurt, otherwise you would have received medical attention right away.

See someone right away after your accident.


Dr. Wade Burbank, Chiropractor *
6403 NE 117th Ave #108
Vancouver WA 98662
ph 360-567-1739

www.chiropractorvancouverwa.com

*20 year specialist in treating car accident injuries, work place injuries, and neck and back pain.

 If you are at fault in an accident then your own auto insurance pays your medical bills IF you have something called Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance.  Otherwise your own personal health plan (the health insurance you get through your employment) should cover your medical bills (minus the deductibles and copays)

If you are not at fault in the accident, and if you have Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance as part of your auto insurance policy, then, your own PIP insurance will pay your medical bills up to $10,000 in Washington State and $15,000 in Oregon State. When you are all finished receiving treatment, your auto insurance will get reimbursed all costs they paid out for your medical bills from the auto insurance representing the at fault person (the guy who caused the accident).

It is best not to send your accident-related medical bills directly to the at-fault insurance company because they will not pay your medical bills until you end (settle) your claim with them. This could take many months to years....meanwhile...your hospital emergency room bill gets sent to your home for prompt payment.  Hospitals do not care who was at fault in the accident...they just want you to pay them now.  Hospitals can be very effective at collecting the medical bills from you even if someone else caused your injury. If this happens to you, get a lawyer. Lawyers can sue the at-fault insurance company and force them to pay your medical bill. It can still take a lawyer many months (even years) to effectively settle your insurance claim. It's best to send your medical bills to your own auto (PIP) insurance at first and let them worry about the rest. Our office does all billing on behalf of the patients.

Your auto insurance rates will not go up if you did not cause the accident. Your insurance rates will go up if you caused the accident.

Dr. Wade Burbank, Chiropractor *
6403 NE 117th Ave #108
Vancouver WA 98662
ph 360-567-1739

www.chiropractorvancouverwa.com

*20 year specialist in treating car accident injuries, work place injuries, and neck and back pain.

Should you go to a chiropractor after suffering a car accident injury?  Should you get a massage? Or perhaps go to the gym to work out the pain or get other types of physical therapy? Should you take stronger and stronger pain killers when lower doses do not seem to work?


Our unique approach to injuries incorporates all three healing approaches.... Chiropractic, professional massage therapy and physical therapy modalities (such as spinal traction or laser therapy) all aid in the healing process. All these therapies combined in one office is the best resource to recovery from auto accidents and even work place injuries (like whiplash, neck or back pain). Free consultation is available. Call 360-567-1739

Dr. Wade Burbank, Chiropractor *
6403 NE 117th Ave #108
Vancouver WA 98662
Ph 360-567-1739

www.chiropractorvancouverwa.com

*20 year specialist in auto accident injuries and work place injury recovery (L&I)

Another mistake is not reporting the accident to your insurance company in a timely matter. It is best to report the car accident to your own insurance as soon as possible (even if you are not the one who caused the accident). If you do not report the accident to the insurance company on time - you risk having the insurance company not cooperating with the claim.

Dr. Wade Burbank, Chiropractor *
6403 NE 117th Ave #108
Vancouver WA 98662

ph 360-567-1739

www.chiropractorvancouverwa.com

*20 year specialist in treating car accident injuries, work place injuries, and neck and back pain.

There are several mistakes that injured people make when they are injured in a car accident. One common mistake is that they fail to report the accident to the police. You must file a report with the police if you are injured in a car accident. Washington State laws say you need to file a report with certain types of accidents. This prevents the other person who caused the accident from denying it ever happened.




Dr. Wade Burbank, Chiropractor
6403 NE 117th Ave #108
Vancouver, WA 98662

phone 360-567-1739

www.chiropractorvancouverwa.com

*20 year specialist in helping people recover from car accident injuries, work place injuries and neck and back pain.