Hubby's accident update

Hi all,
We're currently in an insurance nightmare from hubby's car accident two weeks ago. The guy was insured but barely - he had the bare minimum legal amount. That means he only has $5,000 collision to repair all 3 cars involved in the accident. As any of you who have ever had body work done on a car may know, $5,000 doesn't cover much. Hubby's car has a broken front seat (it lays flat in the back seat from the impact of him flying forward then back -- it sits like the ghetto guys drive around :rolleyes: ) and his bumper and trunk are damaged. The other two cars are pretty much the same. So it looks like everything will be coming from our insurance :rolleyes:

On to his injuries. He's in constant pain. He takes muscle relaxers and pain pills every day as often as he can without making himself a loopy drugged up mess.... that is until bedtime then he's a complete zombie :( He can't even take care of Cameron because he can't lift him to hold him - I think that bothers him most of all. He goes to work, but only because he's afraid of getting into trouble at work for missing days and takes the pain meds right before he leaves. We drive him to and from school so that he's not behind the wheel while taking the pain meds (just in case). The crappy thing is that the insurance company only will pay him for lost time from work. He went back to work as soon as he got the pain meds and muscle relaxers from the doctor. We haven't decided if we're going to sue or not -- if we do, it'll be our own insurance company because the guy who hit him basically has nothing in the way of compensating for injuries. Sigh. He has another doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon to go over the results of last week's Xrays.

We have no idea what to do - if we sue it'll look like we're money hungry. If we don't then he's losing out on so much because of the pain. It has been VERY weird living here the past two weeks. He's so very different being on the meds and in pain. He snaps at me for the slightest jostle in bed and tells me the bed feels like a boat out to sea :rolleyes: It doesn't help that I am a VERY active sleeper (which is why the cats hardly ever sleep on my side - they don't appreciate being kicked off the bed! LOL) I might start sleeing in the spare bedroom just to give him some peace!

Please spare some extra thoughts and prayers for him.

Isn't there a law regarding how much insurance you must have? In California I believe he would be breaking the law.

I am sorry your hubby is having such a hard time :(

All I can offer is prayers. I think it was Craftlady who said she had some experience in this.

I might suggest a free consult (most lawyers will do this) with a lawyer who specializes in this...or a mediator.

HUGS! I hope things will get better soon!

Gee whiz! This is terriable! Did you break a mirror in the last few years? Seems like all you have is bad luck!

I'm sorry you're having such a difficult time, Kim.

I, personally think you should sue. Wrong was done, therefore you should be compensated.

Hugs to you and your family.

Oh no, I'm so sorry.

Can you afford to get a lawyer? It seems like something should be done about your husband's constant pain. No one should have to live like that. :(

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Originally Posted by catnapper

We have no idea what to do - if we sue it'll look like we're money hungry.

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Who cares about appearances? At this point, your family's financial security is at risk. If your husband ends up being permanently disabled, everything will come crashing down. There are a lot of people depending upon you guys right now.

I don't know any lawyers and have never sued anyone, but I'd ask friends and family if they know anyone that they recommend. It may take a long time to settle this, but you guys need help with medical and car bills. I say go for it.

I'm so sorry this happened to you and that your hubby is in pain. :(

Don't feel bad about suing. It sounds like your only recourse at this point. *hugs and prayers*

About 10 years ago I was in a similar situation. (I was hit from behind and had serious back problems but I was only working part-time so I had no sick time to take off.) Like your husband I continued to go to work, which didn't help matters because I couldn't even lift my arm to reach a counter.

I know that only he and his MD can make decisions about his care, but if the drugs are making him really loopy maybe he should talk with the MD about taking a class of drugs called NSAIDS (aspirin like drugs but stronger). They have other side effects, but at least they don't have the loopy effect.

I also sued the other driver and it took almost 3 years before it was settled. The only reason it was settled then was because I was moving out of the country. What I want to say is that sueing is a long and involved process. If you aren't sure what you will get out of it, you should think about it twice.

I think you should sue. It won't help immediately. It's a long process, but you should be compensated for the injuries. I sued after a car accident 8 years ago. I was rear-ended by a woman who was talking on her cell phone in rush hour traffic in Calgary! My neck was injured. I still have neck pain at times and will for the rest of my life. The lawsuit could not be finalized until my doctors and therapists all said that I had reached "maximum medical improvement"--as good as it is going to get!

Your hubby had back pain before right? My hubby has lived with severe chronic back pain for several years. I would be hospitalized begging for morphine if I had to cope with the kind of pain Stuart wakes up with every day! I'd recommend that he checks out a book called "the back doctor", by Dr. Hamilton-Hall. It's very good and will give him lots of non-drug, non-surgical ways to help reduce and cope with his pain. It will help you too--living with a pain patient can be just as hard for the spouse and family as it is for the person actually in pain.

My goodness, Kim, I didn't even know about his accident!!!! :eek: :(
It's just one thing after another!!!! Bless your heart! Grant definitely needs to get his back taken care of, and soon! I pray there is no permanent damage, but he might need some physical therapy for a while!

As far as the law here goes, you just have to carry liability insurance, but I'm not even sure of the amount. I worry daily whether or not my "adult" daughter is paying for her insurance. :rolleyes:

Law suits can always be long, drawn out and stressful things ... so I don't know what to tell you about that! :confused: Gosh, I'm not any help at all, I'm afraid! You are in my thoughts and prayers though!

HUGS,
Kim

P.S.... call me if you need a shoulder! ;)

Kim, I didn't know that your husband had been in an accident. I'm so sorry to hear this.:( I sure hope that he'll recover from this and won't have to live in pain for the rest of his life. You may need to sue even though you don't really want to. I sure hope that things will start getting better in your life. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent your way. Please take care.(((HUGS)))

I was in a similiar situation about 8 year ago when I was in college. 4 cars and a semi were involved in pileup on the freeway, and the guy whose fault it was not only had an expired liscense but was completely uninsured. I was working and going to school at the time and like your husband continued at both using painmeds simply because I couldn't take time off from either. To even get my car fixed I had to claim against my uninsured motorists and I was reluctant since it was my own insurance company that was having to pay the claim and in the end only claimed to fix my car, my copays on medical visits and my rental, but not much more. Part of me regrets that simply because I do have some lingering effects even all this time later with neck pain. So I would say sue, even if you have to go against your own insurance company. Bottom line they usually go after the person that caused it once they've reached the maximum of his/her insurance.

Wishing your husband a speedy recovery.

I had a situation where I could and really should of sued someone about a year ago, you dont need to look money hungry that was what I was afraid of and when people bring it up they always say it was the right thing to do and looking back it really was and I regret not doing it. At the end of the day your poor husband is dealing with pain caused by someone else.

I'm so sorry your life has been turned upside down by someone else's screw up. I hope your husband can find some relief for his pain.

I was in an accident several years ago too. The woman who hit me had insurance, but we had to go to court for liability. My insurance company sued hers--and won.

I wouldn't think twice about getting compensated from SOMEONE.