1. Med-Pay-  This is money that will go directly towards your medical bills.  Most people who have health insurance with their employer will have a $2,500 co-pay deductable.  If you carry $5,000 in Med-Pay then your deductable will be met with no money out of your own pocket.

2. Rental Coverage-  Most rental coverages do not cover the daily insurance and are capped at a set number of days.  You are only entitled to a rental car if you or the at-fault party carries this insurance.

3. UM(Georgia) UM/UIM(South Carolina)- In Georgia this covers accidents in which the at-fault party has no insurance or not enough to cover your medical bills.  In South Carolina you must carry both because uninsured and underinsured are counted seperately.  Also, in Georgia make sure that you do not carry REDUCED UM!  Make sure you have ADD-ON UM.

Accidents can be life altering, frustrating, and expensive.  Be sure that you are making the most of all your avaliable insurance coverages.  If you have been the victim of a car wreck, motorcycle accident, or 18-wheeler wreck don’t try to handle it without someone in your corner that understands the insurance companies tricks.  Let John Mixon and Associates be your auto accident attorneys today.  Call us right now at 706-724-9999 or toll free at 1-800-727-1234.  Let our knowledge go to work for you today!

Like with most issues we discuss here, the State of the child’s residency is going to control how the settlement is handeled.  In our home State, Georgia, there are two controls: A minor settlement as well as a conservatorship.  If the gross settlement is in excess of $15,000.00 then the Probate Court must approve a minor settlement.  However, if the gross settlement is in excess if $15,000.00 and the final take-home pay out for the minor is also in an excess of $15,000.00 then the settlement must be accompanied with a minor conservatorship.  A conservatorship involves the appointed conservators providing a plan for how the settlement will be handeled and maintained by the conservators.

In our closest neighboring State, South Carolina, the financial stipulations are slightly different.  Any gross settlement that is in excess of $7,500.00 will require a minor settlement that must be addressed by a General Sessions Court Judge and it must be addressed in open court. 

In both State’s the ultimate goal is (as it is anytime a child is involved) ensuring that the child’s best interest is served.  If your child has been injured in any sort of accident give us a call at 706-724-9999 or toll free at 1-800-727-1234.  The money owed to your child can become a great benefit to them as they enter adulthood.  Allow our experience to work

Let me start by telling you a story.  A driver is headed home on a rural two lane road.  As the driver approaches a hard curve in the road they see another driver coming around the curve in the opposite lane.  All of a sudden a third car emerges from behind the car that is approaching our driver.  This third car is attempting to pass the approaching car, and is doing so by coming into our driver’s lane.  Our driver cannot swerve into the other lane because there is a car approaching.  Our driver has only one real option, drive off the road.  Our driver jerks the wheel at the last second, veers off road, and hits a tree. 

Is this our driver’s fault?  Or can we consider this a hit and run?

This is by Georgia Law a hit and run, but our driver has some responsibilities if he wants to make a claim.  A hit and run can occur even if their is no contact between two cars.  Georgia Law demands that all drivers honor the rules of the road and consider for the safety of other drivers.  If you find yourself in the same situation as our driver you must follow these steps:

1. Do your very best to identify the year, make, model, color, and tag number of the car that ran you off the road. 

2. Contact local law enforcement as soon as possible.  This is paramount.  You can’t wait until you get home, or the next day.  You must call the police as soon as you can.

3. Locate a witness to corroborate your version of events.  Should you not have a witness this may not eliminate you from a claim but if possible find a witness.

It is important that you can show your insurance company that you made your very best effort to identify the car at fault, that you did not delay in reporting, and that you had no other option but to take the course of action that lead to your property damage and/or injuries.

If you have been the victim of a hit and run accident or any type of automobile accident call John Mixon and Associates today at 706-724-9999 or toll free at 1-800-727-1234.  Allow our experience to work for you today.

I can’t tell you how many times we hear the above from a Georgia personal injury client.  In the State of Georgia, if the Hospital knows you were hurt in a car wreck, they can refuse to turn your bills over to your health insurance provider and instead file a lien against any settlement you may garner. 

You can have Medicare, a federally mandate health insurance provider, and yet Hospitals in the State of Georgia can refuse Medicare the ability to pay your bills.

You can have Medicaid, a State mandated health insurance provider, and yet Hospitals in the State of Georgia can refuse Medicaid the ability to pay your bills.

You can private health insurance that you either get through your work or pay for yourself, this is a legally binding contractual agreement between you and the insurance company.  Essentially if you pay the insurance company they will cover certain types and portions of your medical bills.  Yet the Hospitals in the State of Georgia can refuse to allow the insurance company to honor their end of the contract.

You are probably thinking, “Well isn’t that illegal?”

It does seem like a 3rd party, in this case the Hospital, that interferes with the execution of a contract is doing something illegal.  However, as it currently stands in the State of Georgia the Hospital can and will do just that.

Don’t let legal loopholes soak-up your settlement money.  If you have been injured in a car wreck, motorcycle accident, or have been the victim of an 18-Wheeler call us today!  Please let our experience work for you so that your accident doesn’t simply make the Hospital and Doctor’s that much richer.  Call John Mixon and Associates today at 706-724-9999 or toll free at 1-800-727-1234

UM coverage is the insurance that you carry on your own vehicle should you be hit by a driver that either: a) has no insurance, or b) does not have enough insurance to cover the cost of your medical bills.

Neighboring states like South Carolina offer UM and UIM with one covering uninsured and the other covering under-insured.  In a State like South Carolina if you pay for UM and/or UIM then in the event of a wreck you get that money should your injuries dictate.  However, in Georgia the insurance companies have used their influence to have laws written in such a manner as to allow them to avoid paying you that money.

When you purchase your car insurance the seller will try to convince your that you should take “Reduced UM” coverage.  The agent will try to convience you that taking this reduction will save you money.  In truth it will save you money maybe 10 or 20 dollars a month.  However, if you are in a catastrophic accident and you amass $300,000.00 or more in medical bills you will stuck holding the bag.  What the agent never tells you is “Hey this will save you a little money now; of course if you are in a catastrophic accident then we will deny paying you anything.”  Essentially the insurance companies have found a loop hole that forces you to pay them each month while hedging their bet should you have a major accident.

If you have Reduced UM coverage and you are in a major car wreck you could lose out on anywhere from $25,000 to $300,000 depending on your individual policy.  What the agent did not mention while pushing reduced UM on you is that you would have to stay with your insurance company and pay them each month for a couple of hundred years in order to save the amount of money that you will lose in the event of a serious automobile accident.

Most people have no real idea of how insurance works and trust me when I tell you that the insurance companies like it that way.  If your agent is oushing Reduced UM onto you simply ask them “Do you carry Reduced UM?”  They will either have to lie or lose out on the incentives offered to them for getting you to take Reduced UM coverage.

If you have been the victim of a car wreck, motorcycle accident, or 18-wheeler wreck don’t try to handle it without someone in your corner that understands the insurance companies tricks.  Let John Mixon and Associates be your auto accident attorneys today.  Call us right now at 706-724-9999 or toll free at 1-800-727-1234.  Let our knowledge go to work for you today!

However, if the insurance company does not claim liability and the car sits for an extended period of time you will be amassing daily charges.  In this case we advise that the client make all necessary arrangements to take possession of the car themselves so as to avoid the possibility of thousands of dollars in fees. 

If you have been in an accident call John Mixon and Associates at 706.724.9999 or toll free at 1.800.727.1234 allow us to be your accident attorneys today!

I want you to understand that I am not talking about the Court or a Judge; I am talking about a Government Agency that you will not see in the Court room.  If you have been arrested for a DUI you must contact a lawyer as soon as possible.  Your lawyer has ten (10) days to send the DDS a letter requesting an “Automatic License Suspension Hearing” (ALS Hearing).  If you do not get a letter to the DDS that has been date stamped by the U.S. Postal Service no later than the tenth day after your arrest then you could lose your license for a year. 

Even if you are a resident of another State and receive a DUI in Georgia then the Georgia DDS can place a hold on your license that may affect you in your home State.  The time limit starts to run immediately.  You must account for Holidays and weekends, no exceptions.  Trust us when we tell you–the last thing you want is a Government Bureaucracy controlling your license. 

My office recently helped a Wyoming resident have his license restored because the State of Georgia had a hold on it.  The DDS required that we obtain a waiver to an order from a Judge here in Augusta, GA.  The problem was that the Judge never gave any such order.  The DDS told us and the Judge that he should have given the order and regardless of if he did or did not he still had to grant the waiver or they would not release the hold on the license.  If the DDS can say that to a Judge- well just imagine what they will say to you.

If you have a DUI or any other problem in which the DDS has or may suspend your license then contact the Law Offices of Christopher Corley at 706.925.3686.  We are located at 436 Greene Street, Augusta, GA in the same office building as John Mixon and Associates.  Don’t take a chance with your license call us today.

If you are a bicyclist you should familiarize yourself with the laws that pertain to bicyclist on the road.  O.C.G.A. 40-6-290 through 40-6-299 outline the specifics of bicyclist behavior on the roadways in Georgia.  Governor Deal’s office has also provided invaluable information on their Governor’s Office of Highway Safety webpage . Anyone who rides a bicycle on a road in Georgia should visit this web page and understand these laws.

Like motorcycles and mopeds– A bicyclist is at a serious disadvantage in the case of a collision with a motor vehicle.  If you have been in a motorcycle, moped, or bicycle accident you may have the ability to make a claim against and at fault motor vehicle driver.  If you have been injured in an automobile accident, as another operator of an automobile or any other vehicle approved for the roadways, then call John Mixon and Associates at 706.724.9999 or toll free at 1.800.727.1234.  Put our experience to work for you today.

Your attorney can do nothing until you have been released from treatment by your treating physician.   Typically, the injured party will have been taken to an emergency room by an ambulance.   There they will be treated by Doctor’s that bill separately from the Hospital itself.  Usually x-rays will be necessary.  Some hospitals take and read their own x-rays but most have an outside radiology group that reads the x-rays.  This radiology group will bill separately as well.   If surgery is required you may also have a separate anesthesiologist bill.  If you require rehabilitation, orthopedic treatment, or even dental work as a result of your accident then those too will be separate bills.  With each of these bills there will be accompanying records and/or doctor’s notes.  We will need all of these in order to be able to present the strongest case to the insurance company for settlement or to a jury for judgment. 

Each physician’s treatment time can vary depending on the nature of your injuries, and the nature of the necessary treatments.  Once you have been released you will need to contact your attorney, immediately.  You will need to discuss each and every appointment, treating physician, and facility that you have used during the time of your injurywith your attorney.  If you have received any bills you should deliver, mail, fax, or e-mail those to your attorney.  While your accident is the most pressing matter you are dealing with chances are your attorney has many clients and must try to find enough time in the week to give everyone the attention that they need.  The more pro-active you are as a client the faster your case can proceed.  Your attorney will order all pertinent bills and records and compile them into a file.  Once he/she has all that they need your attorney can send a demand packet to the insurance company.  Typically the insurance company will take 30 to 90 days to review and investigate the facts of your case. 

Delays can exist when the treating physicians and facilities have outsoured their billing and records.  Large medical billing companies can take far longer to process a request for documents than someone like you local physician.  Once all of the documentation has been collected and a demand sent forth to the insurance company the negotiating process can begin.  In cases with only a few medical bills the negotiations can be finished in as little as one day.  In catastrophic injury cases the negotiations can stretch out for many days or even weeks.  If the situation is such that the insurance company will not be reasonable then a lawsuit may have to be filed.  Once the suit is filed with the Court you will have what is known as a discovery period, or time in which each side can collect all the information that they need to present or defend a case.  This period is usually six (6) months.  Once the time for the trial arrives the trial itself can last anywhere from a single day to multiple weeks.

If you are a Medicaid or Medicare recipient then the entire matter can be drawn out due to the ability of federal programs to subrogate any final settlements or judgments.  These steps can be further complicated by any number of un-forseeable complications.  The entire process can be overwhelming to someone who does not deal in this business.  The insurance companies want this process to be overwhelming and frustrating.  They want you to just give-up or take whatever insufficient settlement they present.  If you have been injured in a car accident don’t fight these overwhelming odds on your own.  If you have been injured in a auto accident call John Mixon and Associates today at (706) 724-9999 or toll free at 1-800- 727-1234.  Make our experience your secret weapon.  Let us be your car, motorcycle, or big truck accident attorneys today!

I can’t stress the following enough.  As soon as you possibly can you need to contact your insurance company.  Some States only allow a very limit window of time for the victim of a hit and run car accident to report the claim to their insurance.  You can file a claim with your own insurance under what is called Uninsured Motorist Coverage.  Some States differentiate between Uninsured and Underinsured (when you know who the at-fault party is but they do not have enough insurance to cover your medical bills).  However, regardless of how a State classifies the insurance the fact is that it exists to protect you in a case such as a hit and run accident.

 Once you have reported your Uninsured Motorist Claim everything will work out just fine, right?  After all this is your insurance company and they will want to take care of a customer, right?  Well not exactly.  You see even if we are talking about your own insurance company they still do not want to pay out large sums of money.  It is funny how insurance works.  They expect you to pay for the coverage, but you shouldn’t expect them to just pay out when the time comes.  Uninsured Claims are handled by an adjustor just like any other claim.  The main goal of any insurance adjustor is to pay as little as possible at all times and for all manner of claims.

If you have been the victim of a hit and run car accident, or any other sort of accident then let John Mixon and Associates be your car wreck attorneys today!  Call us at 706-724-9999 or toll free at 1-800-727-1234.