Do I need a lawyer?

[Norman881]

Washington

13 months ago I coasted into an intersection when my brakes failed and hit a car at 15 miles per hour. A 25 year old, 7 month pregnant female was injured. A nurse saw the accident and helped keep her calm until the ambulance arrived. The nurse told the medics that the lady had no broken bones.

We both have the same insurance company which is Nationwide.

The police came after the fire department had already taken care of the scene. They gave me a ticket since I admitted that I was at fault. They also talked to the nurse and 2 other witnesses. All was quiet until this week.

Now 13 months later I get a letter from another branch of Nationwide insurance telling me that I am approaching the maximum limit of my liability coverage. The letter also advised me to take the necessary steps to protect my assets.

I plan on calling Nationwide today to find out why this other branch is contacting me instead of my agent.

I am 45 years old and have never heard of anything like this happening. Any advice will be much appreciated.What is the name of your state?

Originally Posted by Norman881

Washington

13 months ago I coasted into an intersection when my brakes failed and hit a car at 15 miles per hour. A 25 year old, 7 month pregnant female was injured. A nurse saw the accident and helped keep her calm until the ambulance arrived. The nurse told the medics that the lady had no broken bones.

We both have the same insurance company which is Nationwide.

The police came after the fire department had already taken care of the scene. They gave me a ticket since I admitted that I was at fault. They also talked to the nurse and 2 other witnesses. All was quiet until this week.

Now 13 months later I get a letter from another branch of Nationwide insurance telling me that I am approaching the maximum limit of my liability coverage. The letter also advised me to take the necessary steps to protect my assets.

I plan on calling Nationwide today to find out why this other branch is contacting me instead of my agent.

I am 45 years old and have never heard of anything like this happening. Any advice will be much appreciated.What is the name of your state?

I'm pretty sure that your insurance company also received the same letter.

The SOL for personal injury in your state is 3 years.

[ecmst12]

You shouldn't need a lawyer as your insurance company will advocate for you, but you WILL be responsible for anything the person you hit is awarded over your limits of coverage.

[Norman881]

Washington

If this lady goes to a back doctor for the next 2 years, then I am responsible for her bills?

She moved to North Dakota right after the accident, so I had no idea that she was still racking up bills and for what reasons.

Thanks again for both of your responses.

Sincerely,
Norman

Originally Posted by Norman881

Washington

If this lady goes to a back doctor for the next 2 years, then I am responsible for her bills?

She moved to North Dakota right after the accident, so I had no idea that she was still racking up bills and for what reasons.

Thanks again for both of your responses.

Sincerely,
Norman

If her injuries are proven to be a direct result of this accident then she can/may sue you for past, present, and future medical expenses, pain &suffering etc.

Did you contact your Insurance co. yet regarding this?

[Norman881]

I left a message on Friday. I will talk to my agent today. I hope that he has more information than I do. Thanks again,

Norman

[Norman881]

I finally spoke to Nationwide. The agent listed on my policy has not been my agent for 2 years. He said that they forgot to take his name off of the forms. He has his own business now and works with Nationwide .

He looked up my claim and said that the lady that told me to guard my assets was the Nationwide person assigned to the claim. She is in Iowa and works from home. He gave me her number and I called her.

She told me that the pregnant lady is claiming 3 injured people including herself her daughter and the unborn baby. We are not at my limit yet, but she wants to tell them what my limits are to see if her lawyers will settle for that. The Nationwide lady is not sure if the unborn child was covered at the time of the accident, but she said that she would check.

I really don't have much faith in Nationwide after this mess. I have had home and auto insurance with them for almost 20 years. This is my first claim ever.

I thank you all for your advice on how the process works.

Sincerely,
Norman

[moburkes]

Originally Posted by Norman881

I finally spoke to Nationwide. The agent listed on my policy has not been my agent for 2 years. He said that they forgot to take his name off of the forms. He has his own business now and works with Nationwide .

He looked up my claim and said that the lady that told me to guard my assets was the Nationwide person assigned to the claim. She is in Iowa and works from home. He gave me her number and I called her.

She told me that the pregnant lady is claiming 3 injured people including herself her daughter and the unborn baby. We are not at my limit yet, but she wants to tell them what my limits are to see if her lawyers will settle for that. The Nationwide lady is not sure if the unborn child was covered at the time of the accident, but she said that she would check.

I really don't have much faith in Nationwide after this mess. I have had home and auto insurance with them for almost 20 years. This is my first claim ever.

I thank you all for your advice on how the process works.

Sincerely,
Norman

Why did you lose your faith in your insurance company? What did they do wrong? They will pay out on your behalf up to the amount of insurance that you've purchased, right? what are your liability limits, by the way (all three numbers)? They are not going to pay any more than what you have paid for them to pay.

[Norman881]

I would not have faith in anyone that I paid thousands of dollars to over a 20 year span that failed to tell me that my agent no longer works directly for them.

I find it extremely unprofessional that his name is still listed on my current policy more than 2 years after he left.

The new agent assigned to my case never identified herself as my agent. The first contact that I got from her was a letter telling me to get a lawyer and protect my assets. I don't know about you, but this is NOT the first advice I would expect from my insurance agent after a minor accident.

I could go on, but if you don't see any reason listed above for me to lose faith in my insurer, then you never will.

I again than the rest of you for your informative posts.

Sincerely,
Norman

[ecmst12]

Your insurance company told you to get a lawyer? Even if the injured people are awarded more then your policy limits, it's STILL your insurance company's job to provide you with a lawyer! There should be no need for you to obtain or pay for private counsel.

[moburkes]

Originally Posted by ecmst12

Your insurance company told you to get a lawyer? Even if the injured people are awarded more then your policy limits, it's STILL your insurance company's job to provide you with a lawyer! There should be no need for you to obtain or pay for private counsel.

You're missing the point. He needs to get a lawyer, because, once the insurance company has paid the other woman, the maximum amount of coverage available on the policy, they are DONE. The woman will then sue the OP for the rest of her damages. THAT's why he needs his own lawyer.

OP: How did I know that they didn't tell you that you had another agent, and you weren't informed about it? My, goodness! I would be upset too, but just like a person can make a mistake, the person at the insurance company who didn't hit the correct button made a mistake too.

My suggestion, get a lawyer, like Nationwide states, to defend yourself when she sues you.

[Norman881]

I stated so in my update that triggered your first response to this thread. (Posted below)

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Update

I finally spoke to Nationwide. The agent listed on my policy has not been my agent for 2 years. He said that they forgot to take his name off of the forms. He has his own business now and works with Nationwide.

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Regards,
Norman

[moburkes]

Okay, they didn't notify you of an agent change. I saw that partHow, or why, that caused a "mess" is beyod my comprehension. How that changed the fact that you didn't have enough coverage on your insurance policy is also beyond my comprehension.

That has nothing to do with the claim. That has nothing to do with the fact that you need to retain an attorney because you may have assets to protects BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH INSURANCE. Whether your agent was Joe or Jeff, it doesn't matter.