by winburnlawWhat Do I Do If I Am In A Car Accident In Vermont?
Initially, you should do the obvious – stay calm, call 911, provide comfort to others, but do not move injured people unless they are immediately in jeopardy of further, immediate harm and await the arrival of an ambulance and police. You should leave your vehicle exactly where it ended up after the collision unless it is a hazard to you or others and cooperate fully with all authorities unless you think its possible that you have committed a crime – then call a lawyer immediately! (Not us – we don’t handle criminal cases – only handle injury cases.)
Later on, you should report the accident to your own insurance company. You are contractually obligated to cooperate in some ways with your own insurance company even if the accident is not your fault. But keep in mind they might be recording your statement and don’t think they are “on your side” because later on, they may become your enemy and you don’t want to unthinkingly say something that will cause you problems that may be used against you unfairly. (For this do call us! Or another accident attorney to protect your rights!)
If you google the title of this blog you will see listings for advice from a number of insurance companies and there is a reason for that. Despite advertisements to the contrary, insurance companies are not your friend. Insurance companies are businesses that make a profit by not paying claims. They know the rules and their adjusters are trained to ask seemingly innocent questions that may hurt your case later on.
For example, the first question that an insurance adjuster usually asks is “Is everyone all right?”. Almost everyone says “yes” even if they are in the hospital. However, the person answering this question is not giving a detailed medical assessment. They mean that they are not dying and are grateful to have survived the accident – this is the way a person normally talks. Later on, when an injury claim is made, the insurance company has you on record as being “all right” which will be used against you.
That is why you should have legal counsel before you talk to insurance companies. There are other questions like this that are designed to elicit statements that misconstrue the real circumstances. You need someone on your side to advise you and even the playing field?
We have handled thousands of car accident cases and have first-hand experience that we can share so you will be treated fairly. We handle cases all over the State of Vermont – in Bennington, Burlington, Brattleboro, Rutland, St. Albans, Montpelier, Springfield, Woodstock, the Northeast Kingdom and anywhere else where there is jurisdiction in the State of Vermont. If you believe you have an accident claim contact us for a fee evaluation
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by winburnlawIn Vermont What Are Side Judges?
Side judges are elected judges who do not have to be lawyers. This is a practice that goes back to early times in Vermont history. Originally, legally qualified judges would come to Vermont from out-of-state to hear cases. The side judges were elected to help evaluate facts for the outside judge who did not know the local territory. In essence, they acted like jurors. However, side judges in more modern times have limited legal authority and rarely sit in court.
We put our credentials and history of success (see the “In The News” page) up on our website for you to consider when deciding to hire a personal injury lawyer. Winburn Law Offices limits its law practice to personal injury matters and provides information to legal consumers so that they can make their best decisions on their own.
If you believe you have an accident claim contact us for a fee evaluation – if we take your case, we don’t get paid unless we get money for you. Our law office reviews cases throughout the State of Vermont – in Manchester, Bennington, Rutland, Burlington, Woodstock, St. Albans, Brattleboro, Montpelier, Woodford, Springfield, Wilmington, the Northeast Kingdom and anywhere else where there is jurisdiction in the State of Vermont.