Expert: Charles W. Field - 8/2/2009

Question
Hi, what should I do if I have reason to believe a law office is conducting insurance claim, personal injuries fraud/mill? I live in CA and was involved in as car accident 11-28-08 where both sides stated there were no injuries at the time, and vehicle damages seemed minor, rear bumper damage on her vehicle and front bumper damage on the vehicle I was driving, so we both exchanged information and drove off. I later find out she hired an attorney, reported over $3200 in repairs to her vehicle, declaring it a total loss, and $5825 in personal injury fees. I consider this to be very absurd considering my repairs were approximately $420 with no personal injuries whatsoever. The insurance company denied their claim and her attorneys calls to inform me that unless I pay them $7825 for medical and repair costs, they will be suing me for $23,475 in total for all 3 people in the vehicle. As a full-time college student working part-time, I don't have much money. Is there a low cost method of handling this?   Who should I contact? Thank you, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
You should contact your liability insurance carrier ASAP. It will pay for an attorney to represent you. Share all your thoughts with him/her. Assuming you have at least $25,000.00 of liability coverage, you should be protected.
Also, call around and try to find an attorney in your area who (like me) does not charge for initial consultations. Run all of this by him/her.