Expert: Doctor Settlement - 8/22/2007

Question
i was just recently in a car accident on monday 8/20/07 the at fault driver was takin to the hospital then died yesterday mourning 8/21/07. my lawyer called allstate which is his insurance company but they said they would get back to him by 12pm today and they still havent he said he would give them until 2pm but currently i am out of a car.i need to have transportation to work and to take my daughter to daycare i need transportation. this is my first car accident so i'm not familiar with the process. does it usually take this long? whats the procedure when filing a claim against someone elses insurance? should i call them myself instead of waiting for them to call my lawyer?please help me understand this.

Answer
Hi Crystal,

If is usually OK to expect a couple of days for the tortfeasor's coverage to kick in when there has been a death.  The tortfeasor's company wants to get confirmation of liability.

I would not call them yourself since you have an attorney to run interference for you.  Just ask is him if you can communicate with his legal assistant and if she can make the follow-up calls inasmuch as he might be too busy and this is a small matter in his office.

Or, why don't you use your own insurance?  Most of us have rental coverage inasmuch as it is only a like $2 to $4 a month.

One other idea is to speak with the auto body shop owner.  He can usually use the backdoor route for approval from the adjuster.  And he can also hook you up with better rates than you can get yourself.

Thus, if the auto body shop owner cannot get you approval, have him arrange for you to go rent a car using your own credit card and you will then either get reimbursed or you can switch once Allstate comes on board.

Best wishes in dealing with a death issue.

Dr. Settlement, J.D. (Juris Doctor)
www.settlementcentral.com