Wednesday, March 14, 2018

I'm Not Litigious

I have a friend who was the passenger when the car in which he was riding got struck by a car which ran a stop sign on a dark and rainy road.
Sure, the car struck the vehicle in which he was riding on his side of the car but my friend was fine - he even went to work at the club that night with no sign of injury.
The next morning his neck was a bit sore but not any more than it would have been had he slept on the mound of pillows with which women frequently litter their beds.

The following Monday, he received calls from lawyers, insurance companies, brokers,... - anyone trying to make money or those trying to avoid paying money.

My friend was advised to at least get checked out.

My friend went to see a doctor who sent him to see a chiropractor.
My friend told both that he was fine and that he wasn't injured.
X-rays were then ordered by the chiropractor 'just to make sure'.

The broker representing the lawyer ask my friend to lunch and asked my friend to sign a release which would allow the law firm to represent him in any insurance negotiations and to ensure that he would not be charged for his doctors visits.

The chiropractor scheduled treatments which my friend was told he was obligated - or else he would be billed for previous visits and procedures.

After a month of telling anyone who would listen - brokers, lawyers, doctors, chiropractors, insurance companies, imaging centers,... - my friend was then scheduled for an MRI ('Just in case.').

After the MRI, my friend was told he needed to see a pain management doctor for pain my friend said didn't exist. (My friend sees him tomorrow.)

No wonder our healthcare system sucks.
My friend told everyone that he just took an aspirin the night of the accident and slept just fine.
Everything should have been over.
My friend was checked out by a doctor and a chiropractor and he told them he was fine.
My friend wasted hours three times a week for a little over a month during his usual volunteer time just to satisfy the brokers/lawyers billing obligations.

My friend was told that he would get a settlement for his 'pain and suffering' even though he told each person involved that he had no pain and that he didn't suffer.

My friend told the law firm to keep the check but he was mad that they had wasted so much of his time.

Honestly, like many institutions - there is just too much profit to be made by getting over on others in the insurance business.
Their are too many levels of profit taking for even the simplest things.

(The driver of the car is getting his car fixed - as should be expected - but he is trying to milk every penny from an accident that caused no real bodily harm.)

What ever happened to honestly?

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