One of the most common questions individuals have after being involved in a car accident is: "When should I call a lawyer?" Interestingly enough, many of our clients consistently tell us they wish they'd reached out sooner. So, when exactly is the right time to contact a Utah personal injury lawyer?
In good Utah pioneer fashion, many people initially decide to handle their insurance claims independently, hoping to save money and believing the process will be straightforward. How complicated could it really be? Unfortunately, handling car accident claims alone quickly becomes overwhelming. Soon after the accident, you'll likely start receiving numerous phone calls from different adjusters:
Keeping track of who you spoke to, what information you've shared, and what exactly has been said becomes challenging. When adjusters start asking tough questions or pressuring you for statements, many people quickly realize they're out of their depth.
Truthfully, the ideal time to contact a lawyer after a car accident is as soon as possible after the collision. At True North Injury Law, we offer a free consultation, so there's no cost to get timely legal advice. Seeking early counsel can make a substantial difference in your case by preventing common pitfalls such as:
When you call early, a Utah personal injury attorney can also assist with establishing claims with insurance companies. One common issue arises when insurance adjusters request a recorded statement immediately after the accident. While you may respond truthfully, you may inadvertently provide incorrect or incomplete information due to not having all the facts at hand. Additionally, offering too much information can lead to the insurance company twisting your statements, potentially harming your case.
Working together from the beginning allows your attorney to:
After a car accident, you already have enough to deal with—physical injuries, emotional trauma, medical appointments, vehicle repairs, and more. Having an experienced lawyer handle your insurance claims and legal matters can significantly reduce stress, allowing you to concentrate on your health and recovery. Our team at True North Injury Law will:
If you've recently been in a car accident, don't wait until you feel overwhelmed. Getting legal advice sooner rather than later can drastically improve the outcome of your case and help you avoid costly mistakes.
Schedule your FREE consultation today by calling us at 801-849-3664. Let True North Injury Law guide you through this challenging time, answer your questions clearly, and ensure your rights are fully protected.
If you’ve been in the personal injury space for very long, you quickly come to find that every medical provider has their own HIPAA release. Shockingly, they all disagree on what HIPAA requires for the form to be compliant. So, none of them are the same or have any uniformity. Your law firm could even submit a general HIPAA release form, which complies with the law, and many times it is rejected in favor of their own form. Therefore, if you want to request records from Intermountain, you have to find their form and submit it to the right people to get your records. If you want to request records from the U of U, you have to find their form and submit it to the right people to get your records.
If you’ve been in a car accident and you’ve received treatment from 15 different medical providers, you have to track down the forms that each of those providers use in order to get your records. Such a task is time consuming and maddening. Afterall, if the law requires that medical releases be HIPAA compliant, why can’t the medical providers just use the same form?
In 2022, the legislature finally instructed the Department of Health to create a HIPAA compliant form that every medical provider is required to accept. See UCA 26B-8-514, 78B-5-618(12). So now, instead of having to go from clinic to clinic you can use a single form everywhere you go.
While the creation of the form and the mandate for its acceptance are big wins for insurance claimants, the form won’t do you much good if you can’t find it. The Utah Department of Health has buried the form on their website and unless you know what you’re looking for, you won’t find it. So, we’ve created a step-by-step guide to help you find the Standardized Form.
To start off, you go to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services website.
Once here, you scroll down until you see “A to Z”
Click on “A to Z”, and you will be taken to this page:
Click on the letter “H”, and scroll down to “Health record access request form” and click on the link.
Once you’ve clicked the link, you will be taken to the fillable pdf you see below:
If you've been in a car accident and are drowning under all the minutiae necessary to successfully resolve your claim, give us a call. We offer a FREE consultation so that you can meet with one of your expert Utah Personal Injury Attorneys, get all your questions answered, and start down the right path. Schedule your free consultation today by calling 801-849-3664.
What do we mean when we say property damage? We’re talking about the damage to your car. After an accident, many people need to figure out how to get their car fixed or replaced as fast as possible. You typically have two options: (1) run the property damage through the at-fault auto insurance, or (2) run the property damage through your own auto insurance. There are pros and cons to each option.
The most common instinct accident victims have is to run their property damage through the at-fault auto insurance company. They figure that they are not at-fault for the collision, so the person that was should take care of this. That thinking is not wrong. The downside is that it can take a long time to have the at-fault auto insurance do what needs to be done.
The insurance administrative code gives the insurance company 30 days to complete their investigation. R590-190-10(2). However, if they need more time, they pretty much just have to inform you. So, people often call me feeling like the insurance company is not taking them seriously and that they are getting the runaround. This happens because the law does not put a firm time frame in place for property damage claims to be completed.
The upsides are that you don’t have to pay your deductible. While the insurance company is repairing your vehicle or until a reasonable settlement offer has been made for a total loss vehicle, the insurance company should provide you with a rental car or reimburse you for the cost of a rental car. R590-190-11(9).
If you are not in a hurry, running the property damage claim through the at-fault auto insurance is a great option.
Many accident victims hesitate to run their property damage through their own auto insurance because they have to pay the deductible and they don’t want a claim on their record that would increase their premium. While, paying the deductible is definitely the downside. The upsides are:
(1) The repair or payout takes place a lot faster;
(2) Your auto insurance company cannot increase your premium for an accident that wasn’t your fault (See UCA 31A-19a-212); and
(3) Your auto insurance company will go after the at-fault auto insurance company to get the money they expended on your behalf back. When they get it, your auto insurance will reimburse your deductible back to you.
One other possible downside is getting a rental vehicle. If you do not pay for rental car coverage on your policy, you will not have a rental car available to you.
So, if you don’t have a lot of time to wait for your vehicle to be repaired or to get a new car, running the property damage claim through your own auto insurance can definitely be a great option.
If you have questions about your specific case, call expert Utah personal injury attorney, Jake Lee, at 801-849-3664 today to schedule your free consultation and get your questions answered.
