1. Safety is paramount.

• If your teenager doesn’t believe that they are injured, and the accident appears minor without concern for who is at fault, consider signaling to the other driver that both of you can move your vehicles to a nearby, safe place.  (If there is concern for who was at fault, we suggest that the vehicles not be moved.  If you are instructed to move them by the police upon calling 911, without compromising safety, take quick photos of the vehicles and surrounding area that may be important for determining fault prior to moving the vehicles.)
• If you stay where the accident occurred, shift into park, turn off the vehicle, turn on the hazard lights, and call 911.
• Discuss scenarios where staying in the vehicle while waiting for the police may not be safe and exiting to a nearby sidewalk may be safer.  Run through scenarios that you would advise them to stay in the vehicle.
• Your teenager does not need to get out of the car prior to the police arriving if their safety would be compromised.
• Consider placing emergency water in the car for accidents that occur hot days (our firm is located in the Henderson / Las Vegas, Nevada, area and 117-degree summer heat is horrid.)
• You can use cones, warning triangles, or flares for added safety, if you have them and you can safely put them up.

2. Get Help

• Check for injuries; call an ambulance when in doubt.
• Call the police, even if the accident is minor. A police report can be invaluable to the claim process and help establish who’s at fault.   (If the accident was on private property, they may not come.  If the accident occurred on a commercial premise, such as a hotel or casino or mall, they may have their own security that is willing to help you.  Calling the main premise switchboard and ask for security.)

3. Collect Information

• Gather information from others involved in the accident.  If possible, take photos of this information as well as writing it down.
  • Driver and passenger names and contact information (phone number and address.)
  • Vehicle descriptions (make, model, year).
  • Driver’s license numbers (including the state who issued it, year of expiration, and any restrictions on their license.)
  • Vehicle license plate numbers.
  • Insurance company, phone number, and policy numbers.  Show your teenage driver what your insurance card looks like and point out what a policy number is and where it can be found on yours.
  • Eyewitness names and contact information (phone number and address.)  This is critical. Explain to your teenager that sometimes the other driver’s story changes after they leave the scene of the accident, so documentation is critical.
  • Accident scene location and/or cross streets.
  • Police officer’s name and badge number.
• Take photos of all vehicles involved and the accident scene, if it is safe to do so.
• Do not sign any document unless it’s for the police or your insurance company.
• Be polite, but don’t tell anyone the accident was your fault, even if you think it was.

4.Roadside Assistance.  Go over your policy with your teenager and explain what roadside assistance is and what that includes under your policy.  (Sometimes roadside assistance covers locking your keys in the car and usually covers towing to the nearest facility if the car breaks down.)  If your vehicle isn’t safely drivable after an accident, it should be towed.

5.  File a claim with their insurance company if it was their fault, and notify your automobile insurance company as well.  You do not need to call them from the scene of the accident, but call them promptly after the accident and injury evaluations are done.  Note, you are not required to give a recorded statement to the other person’s insurance company.  You can, but it could be used against you later.  (It is not a recorded statement to simply call an insurance company, even if it says something to the effect that the call may be recorded for quality purposes.  A recorded statement would begin and end with your confirmation by their adjuster that the interview was being recorded with your permission and all answers were given to the best of your knowledge.)  You are required to cooperate with your own insurance company.  If they ask for a recorded statement, ask if it is necessary or if you can give a phone interview that is not recorded.  If they insist on a recorded statement, you may be in breach of your insurance contract if you do not agree.  Only answer the questions that they ask you, though.

We are happy to answer your questions!  Call us today!

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Our law firm has been open since 2006, and we have tried to focus on providing exceptional customer service to our clients.  Our philosophy is that if you hire an attorney, you should get to work with the attorney.  We strive to promptly respond to emails and phone calls, and to be available to our clients.

Choosing an attorney is an important and critical decision.  Television commercials and fancy advertising slogans can be misleading about the kind of experience that you might have at a law firm.  Before you make any decisions, come sit down with one of our attorneys for a free face-to-face consultation to discuss your case.  Let us show you how you should be treated.

Tyler Hammond, Esq.

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     The truth is, the law regarding car accidents and various insurance coverages is very complicated, and insurance companies will do their best to pay out as little as possible.  A skilled lawyer can advise you on how your health insurance, your auto insurance, and the other driver’s auto insurance all work together to maximize your recovery.

     Consider the following hypothetical example:  John has health insurance with a $5,000.00 deductible.  Dave rear-ends John and John goes to the hospital and incurs a $10,000.00 hospital bill.

     Here are three potential outcomes:

Scenario 1:

The hospital tells John that they will simply “bill” Dave’s insurance rather than John’s health insurance so that John doesn’t have to pay any copays or deductibles.  John thinks this sounds great.   Dave’s insurance covers the $10,000.00 bill and John feels happy that he didn’t have to come out of pocket.

     The result:

Dave’s insurance pays the hospital $10,000.00
John gets $ 0.00

Scenario 2:

John asks the hospital to bill his health insurance.  The $10,000.00 bill gets “adjusted” or “discounted” through the health insurance down to $2,900.00 which John owes as it falls under his deductible.  Dave’s insurance offers to pay the $2,900.00 and John feels grateful that he didn’t have to come out of pocket.

The result:

 Dave’s insurance pays the deductible of $2,900.00
John gets $ 0.00

Scenario 3:

John asks the hospital to bill his health insurance.  The $10,000.00 bill gets “adjusted” or “discounted” through the health insurance down to $2,900.00.  John knows that legally Dave’s auto insurance does NOT get to benefit from the fact that John has health insurance.  Dave’s insurance pays the full $10,000.00 bill directly to John.

The result:

Dave’s insurance pays John $10,000.00
John pays his $2,900.00 deductible and nets $7,100.00 in his pocket.

     Which scenario do you think the hospital prefers?  Obviously under the first scenario, the hospital gets paid the full $10,000.00 rather than being forced to take any discounts that it might be required to take under a health insurance contract.  (i.e. contractual adjustments)

     Which scenario do you think Dave’s auto insurance prefers?  Under the second scenario, Dave’s auto insurance gets away with paying only $2,900.00, rather than the full $10,000.00 that they are legally responsible for.  Notice that under this scenario, John’s decision actually saves Dave’s insurance company $6,100.00.

     Which scenario do you think John prefers?  Under the third scenario, John actually walks away with money in his pocket.  Additionally, John may be entitled to lost wages, pain and suffering, etc.

     This is one small example of how insurance companies can short-change someone.  Sadly, the person in the first two scenarios probably thinks that the insurance company is doing him a favor by paying the out-of-pocket expenses.  (i.e. copays or deductibles) In reality, that person got short-changed.  This scenario happens very frequently.

     There are numerous laws and nuances that insurance companies can exploit to their advantage.  They want to settle with you before you get an attorney.  I even had a client who was offered money at the scene of the accident to settle.  Fortunately, he declined the offer and retained our law firm and we got him significantly more money – even after paying us our fee.

     Each case is different and should be assessed by a skilled attorney to make sure you don’t get taken to the cleaners.  If it is just you vs. the insurance company – who do you think is going to win?  You are already the victim of a car accident – Don’t let yourself become the victim of an insurance company as well.

     Always get a free consultation from one of our accident injury attorneys before you make any decisions. A good lawyer can make all of the difference!

Tyler Hammond, Esq.

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Free consultation. 

Do I have to pay anything to meet with you?  How do I pay to hire a personal injury attorney for my car accident?  These are questions we are often asked.  So, how much does a consultation with our firm cost?  Nothing.  Not a penny. It is a free consultation.  And, in these Covid 19 days, we can offer to meet with you by phone, Zoom, Facetime, Skype, or in person with health and safety measures in place.

You are already the victim of an accident, and we want to make things as easy as possible.  Do you need help finding a doctor?  We know a vast network of doctors who understand your needs, from primary care physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists, pain specialists, orthopedic physicians, or even trauma counselors that can help you heal.  It is always up to you regarding who you treat with, but we can offer these services.  Regardless of who your attorney is, you never have to be seen by only the doctors they know.  You are ultimately responsible for feeling comfortable with who takes care of your health.

Hiring an attorney is simply finding a partner to help you in this one area of your life.  Who will you trust to help you through the process?  Will you have access to an actual attorney or simply a case manager?  Will they call you back promptly?  At Hammond & Hammond, you will talk to real attorneys.  There is no pressure to sign with us, but we are confident that you will be happy once we talk.

Call us to discuss your case today!  24 hours!  (702) 232-4545.

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At Hammond & Hammond, we understand that people often have a hard time pursuing a claim for an injury, whether it is a dog bite or some other incident.  All too often, clients say “I’m not a sue-happy person.”

We understand that most people don’t really want to take someone else to court.  Most people are not vindictive people.  However, it is important to understand that most of the time the claims that we are pursuing are just about fighting for fair compensation from the insurance company.

What exactly is insurance?  Insurance is sort of just a “pooling” program that we pay into to “pool” our money so that the unfortunate victims of accidents can use the money when needed.  It is important to remember that it is a for-profit “pooling” program meaning that the insurance companies make a whole lot of money by handling this “pooling” concept.  If the money isn’t used by those who need it or the insurance companies don’t pay out fair settlements, those insurance companies just get richer and keep more of the “pool” of funds that we paid into.

Thus, whether it is a dog bite, a car accident, a slip and fall, or some other type of incident, you can trust that if Hammond & Hammond represents you, we will fight hard to make sure that the insurance companies pay you fair compensation.  We will fight to make sure that they pay a fair amount from the “pool” of money that you have probably paid into for most of your life in some form.

– Tyler Hammond

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