Martinson & Beason, P.C.
Your insurance company—like most insurance companies today—likely used some sort of catchy recruiting slogan to convince you they would be understanding, compassionate, attentive to your needs and even friendly in the event you had an auto accident. Unfortunately, the cute or catchy slogans, and the funny, friendly commercials, don’t tell the whole story. Your insurance company is a business, with a goal of increasing their financial bottom line.
It can be quite a shock for most people to realize that while their insurance company is perfectly happy taking their monthly premiums for months, years, or even decades, when it comes time to pay some of that back, they will likely do everything in their power to undervalue your claim—or to deny it altogether. To ensure you are not left with unpaid medical expenses, or are not compensated for your lost wages and damages to your vehicle, it is important to speak to an experienced Alabama personal injury attorney as soon as possible following your accident.
A top-rated Alabama car accident attorney from Martinson & Beason can help you successfully navigate the many stumbling blocks which may be put in your path by an insurance company. We can ensure your claim is filed within the Alabama statute of limitations (two years), and that it is filed correctly. We know how to investigate an auto accident and prove the negligent driver was at fault, and how to accurately calculate your true damages, then work to make sure your medical expenses, damages, pain and suffering and lost wages are all covered.
If you were hit by an uninsured driver, we can determine whether you have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, and, if you do, help you file your claim with your own insurance. In the end, your insurance company—or the at-fault driver’s insurance company—has little interest in whether your injuries are properly compensated, however the Martinson & Beason attorneys do care about your rights and your future.
Unlike many insurance companies, which have been in business as far back as the 1920’s and 1930’s, Access Insurance is a relatively new company, founding in 1994. From the time it was founded until today, Access has acquired licenses in 22 states, and expects to continue to “strategically” expand into additional states. With headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, Access offers consumers a low down payment premium plan in order to make auto insurance more affordable. Further, Access does not—as many insurance companies now do—require a credit check for its customers.
Inc. Magazine ranked Access Insurance as number 758 out of 5,000 fast-growing companies in 2010, and boasted a three-year, 402 percent growth between 2007 and 2010. When an access customer misses a premium payment, Access’s flexible policy reinstatement helps those customers recover their insurance benefits without severe penalties. Access insurance received a “B+” rating in the industry, and is considered a stable company with revenues of $278.3 million in 2009 alone.
According the National Sleep Foundation, at least 60 percent of adult drivers admit to driving a vehicle while feeling drowsy or fatigued in the past year. More than a third of adult drivers even admit they have nodded off while driving. While that “nodding off” may have only been for a second or two, it could be enough time to result in a serious, even fatal accident. As a conservative estimate, it is believed that at least 100,000 auto collisions each year are the result of driver fatigue, causing more than 1,500 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and amounting to more than $12 million in monetary losses.
In some cases, driving while drowsy or fatigued can be just as dangerous as driving while under the influence, however there is no test to determine your level of sleepiness as there is to determine your level of intoxication. Self-reporting of drowsiness or fatigue is not considered reliable—many people really don’t realize how tired they are, while others don’t want to admit they had or caused an accident because they were too tired to be driving.
Adults in the 18-29 age category are more likely to drive while fatigued or drowsy, and men are about twice as likely to fall asleep while driving than women. Adults with small children in the home are more likely to drive drowsy than those with no children or older children, and shift workers are more likely to drive while fatigued than those who work a regular daytime schedule. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that those who only sleep 6-7 hours per night are twice as likely to be involved in an auto accident than those who get 8 hours of sleep or more per night.
An Australian study even found that test subjects who were awake for 18 hours, were as impaired as a person with a blood alcohol content of .05. In the end, driving while fatigued or drowsy is dangerous, and can be fatal. A lack of sleep results in impaired judgment, a decrease in alertness and awareness and a slowed reaction time—all issues which can contribute to an auto collision.
If a fatigued driver was responsible for your automobile accident, it is important that you speak to a knowledgeable Martinson & Beason attorney as soon as possible following your collision. Our attorneys will work hard on your behalf, whether negotiating a fair settlement, or litigating in court. We understand that you may have very serious injuries—perhaps even serious enough to keep you from returning to work for a significant length of time. We also understand that you have regular bills which must be paid, and that you now have medical expenses to deal with as well. Our attorneys are committed to allowing you to heal from your injuries, while we take care of the legal aspects of your accident, so call Martinson & Beason today.
