In school we read about Julius Caesar and the Ides of March, a month named after the Roman God, MARS. Martius was the name of the first month in the original Roman calendar. Along with January, May, and June, March is one of several months named after a god. It was a day in the Roman calendar that corresponds to 15 March. It was marked by several religious observances and was notable for the Romans as a deadline for settling debts. The phrase, “Beware the Ides of March,” is the soothsayer’s message to Julius Caesar, warning of Caesar’s death/assassination in 44 BC.
Since that time, the idea stuck that the Ides of March is unlucky or a portent of doom—even if your name isn’t Caesar. The Latin root of “ides” means “to divide,” so ides basically just denotes the middle of the month…this year a TGIF- Friday.
The Ides of March…Madness refers to The College Basketball Finals, as well as NASCAR, Golf and St Patty’s. But for CV locals, it also refers to The Indian Wells BNP Tennis and the increased traffic of almost a half million visitors attending Tennis. Everyone drinks while watching these events, especially St Pattys!
The increase in traffic means more accident and drunk driving. Common sense tells us the additional cars on the road and people partying means we should drive more carefully to avoid PI and DUI’s.
Many foolishly drive home unaware of how many beers and glasses of wine one can consume without getting impaired. However, when drinking outside of our home, we do not know how much alcohol the bartender poured.
In a restaurant/bar, 1 hard alcohol drink is probably not an ounce. This is because the bartender wants to get a good tip, and assumes a strong drink will help. For DUI purposes, a 1 oz. pour equals one drink, but with 3-4 oz. poured per drink, it is the same as 9-12 drinks. Thus, when we say we only had 2 drinks, we forget it is not the number of drinks but the amount of alcohol in each drink that matter.
Strong drinks, coupled with the increase in traffic and drivers who have had too much to drink, increases the number of Accidents and DUI’s. Of course, getting lost because of our dark CV nights, coupled with road repairs that necessitate lane changes, is “an accident waiting to happen”.
Historically there are more DUI FATALITIES in the Coachella Valley, per capita, than anywhere else in California. Thus, it is logical that DUI arrests and fatalities spike during the Tennis and concert season. Naturally, our law enforcement agencies become more vigilant with Checkpoints on these weekends. Of course, I have to stay close to my phone for clients that need assistance with a PI/DUI.
Accident victims think they will be ok in a day or two, and innocently talk to the insurance adjuster and go to their family doctor. Doing both can damage their case. Thus, many lawyers rejects these cases and I explained in a previous legal column,”Mr. Gribow, Why Won’t You Accept My Accident Case?”
Victims are often afraid of getting in an ambulance, or seeing a doctor and getting billed. They don’t understand the insurance company for the ‘at fault’ party will pay for these bills. Most drivers have medical payments coverage in their auto policy and or Health Insurance that will also pay up to their coverage limits.
Most clients don’t know their policy limits, didn’t purchase an Umbrella Policy, or can’t find their policy. It is important to know this information because the other driver may not have insurance. If so, we make an uninsured motorist (UM) claim against our client’s own policy. It is important to note that a medical provider is primarily concerned with getting paid. If the injured party can’t find their policy’s they use a credit card for treatment, rather than being refused service. An experienced lawyer can often get medical treatment on a lien.
Typically, no one tells the victim they should see a doctor right away to document the injuries, let alone to prepare a summary of their injuries. They should list their symptoms/injuries by starting with the top of their head and moving to the bottom of their toes.
Additionally, the victim should see a medical provider they have not seen before. This is because their current medical providers have record’s that document prior injuries, alcohol or drugs issues, psych referrals, STD’s, abortions etc. Though these records may have nothing to do with the accident, many jurors will incorrectly think less of the victim.
I advise my clients to not post anything on social media after an accident. The last thing you want is for the insurance company to find client’s posts of their playing tennis, golf, running in a marathon, while they complain they can’t do anything because of the pain.
Mistakes and challenges listed above, make it hard to maximize the value of an accident case. These cases often result in smaller settlements and many lawyers reject these cases.
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Dale Gribow is a “Boutique Concierge” CV PI/DUI firm with 25+ TOP LAWYER awards, 4 Dale Gribow Days, 9 Man of the Year, and awarded Mr. Charity. The caseload is limited, allowing calls to be answered and returned the “Old Fashioned” way…by Dale, not an assistant.
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