You ask “didn’t you mean that Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for what you do have?” I assume we all give thanks at Thanksgiving dinner and go around the table to say what we are thankful for.
During the year we have all driven less than carefully at times and had too much alcohol to drive. We should be thankful that we did not get in an accident and hurt ourselves or an innocent victim and/or got arrested for a DUI. We must all remember you do not have to be drunk but rather under the influence or impaired.
But for the grace of god an accident or arrest could have happened to any of us during the year. The police only arrest a small percentage of those driving while impaired.
Every year I get the same questions………such as
Patti from PS asks:
I have read your weekly articles and seen you on TV and you always say that “Law Is An Information Gathering Game.” Why is that true for an auto accident or DUI arrest?
In my weekly radio show “Accidentally Yours” and weekly legal column “Dale Gribow On The Law,” I inform my listeners/readers to write down all the facts of how the accident or arrest happened. Include what hurts from the top of the head to the bottom of their toes. Your lawyer needs all the info and your memory is better after the accident/arrest than it is months later.
With an accident you should go to the ER or Urgent Care for a checkup. Traveling by ambulance is better than your driving to the hospital. It validates the seriousness of the injury and provides the information your lawyer will later need to get you a fair settlement.
Many victims do not want to spend money on the hospital, ER, ambulance or car rental. They don’t realize they will get it back in the settlement.
The client who talks to ANYONE, puts his lawyer at a disadvantage as it provides INFORMATION to the other side. A client does not always remember what they told the adjuster or police and it is not just what they said but “what the adjuster/attorney/police THOUGHT they heard”.
Gina from CC asks:
Why remove Social Media?
Checking Social Media is the latest trick used by the other side’s lawyers/DA’s/adjusters etc. in Accidents and DUI cases. They will Google you and check your Facebook to gather information on you. They may also contact your Facebook friends to get negative information about you.
For instance IF you post you were just in an accident and thus were 1 hour late for golf or tennis it arguably suggests you were not hurt that badly. If you blog/post about going dancing, skiing while you are getting medical care, this might suggest you were ok and thus faking your injuries…..or so the defense would argue. We all know one can be injured and still play tennis or golf, but with some pain.
With an accident, you should see a doctor you have never seen before so there are no skeletons in your closet when this doctor prepares a medical report. In addition you need to treat with a doctor that knows how to write a medical/legal report.
The insurance company thinks all claims are false. They ponder whether you slipped and fell while running around the pool or fell in your shower and said I will say it is from my recent accident.
Thus we should all give thanks at this time of the year for everything we have and have not had happen in the last year.
Questions or ideas for future columns, contact attorney Dale Gribow:760- 837-7500 or dale@dalegribowlaw.com.
DALE GRIBOW
“TOP LAWYER” – Palm Springs Life-(Accidents) 2011-18
“TOP LAWYER”- Inland Empire Magazine Nov 2016
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