Attorney Matt Bates on the Truth About Insurance Companies

FAQs

• What should you do if you're in an Uber or Lyft accident?

  Bates says to always wear your seatbelt, even in the back seat. He explains that the seatbelt reduction is capped at 5% for front-seat passengers, but for backseat passengers it is a straight comparative question, so a jury could decide, for example, that not wearing one should take 35% of your damages. He also advises putting both your own insurance company and the Uber or Lyft insurance company on notice. Mike Morse adds that you should document the scene with photos and video if you are able.

• Why do insurance companies fight paying claims, according to Matt Bates?

  Bates says insurance companies are a business: they love to take premiums but hate to write checks. He compares it to buying an umbrella, only to have the seller take it back when it starts raining. He says that after a first-ever claim, people are put under investigation, cut off based on doctors he calls crooked who say clients are fine, and forced to file suit, which he believes insurers do as a deterrent to making claims.

• What does Matt Bates say about taking an ambulance after a car accident?

  Bates says to play it safe and not put your health in front of potential bills: as long as you have valid auto insurance, or are in a vehicle that has it, the ambulance ride is covered, most of the time 100% by the auto carrier. He adds that in about 90% of cases where someone doesn’t seek immediate treatment, the insurance company’s first defense is that the person was not that injured.

• How does a contingency fee work at the Mike Morse Law Firm?

  Bates says the firm works on a contingency fee system: if for some reason there is no recovery, which he says rarely happens, the client has not been writing checks and is not left standing there with a bill. Mike Morse adds that there is no money upfront and the firm only takes its fee after it wins the case.

• Why do accident injuries sometimes not show up until days later?

  Bates says that in at least 50% of cases or more, people thought they were fine, then felt the next day like they had been hit by a truck. Mike Morse puts it at over 50% as well, describing people who were a little sore the next day and then developed shooting pain down the legs or arms. Bates adds that emergency room discharge papers now even say your symptoms may progress.