Ok, this a long one, but it's a cautionary tale.
I got rear ended in my new 3500 in November. I was stopped in traffic on the hwy and the guy that hit me was going 45-55. Said he got off the gas, but never got on the brake. About $6500 worth of repairs, no frame damage. His 3/4 ton GMC was totaled.
It gave me a pretty good snap and I was feeling a little stiff and sore in my neck. I figured I could walk it off.
Now I know that I've got 3 years to settle up with the guys insurance company (in my state), so I decided to just give it a little time before I talked with them, just to be sure everything was cool. For 4 weeks things didn't really get worse, or better. Then the day after Christmas I woke up in agony. My neck was killing me and the pain radiated down my right arm. I had been laying by the pool in Mexico for a week and had done nothing more strenuous than lift cold beers. My 2nd week in Mexico sucked as I couldn't even get out of bed. When I got home I went to the doc and tried to do an MRI. Just laying on the table with my head in the bucket was unbearable. The doc prescribed some oxycodone which I loaded up on before trying again a couple of days later. Another fail on the MRI. Finally, a couple days later, a bigger dose of narcotics and finally was able to grit out the procedure. Turns out I had two herniated discs in my neck and severe stenosis of my spinal cord and nerves going down into my right arm.
So, I ended up having spinal surgery 3 weeks ago. I've been out of work. My pain is finally getting better, but my trigger finger and thumb are still completely numb. The neurosurgeon can't say how much feeling, if any will come back.
Bottom line is, I'm glad I waited to settle. I am going to lawyer up to be sure the medical bills are all paid and they cover my time off work.
My advice is, don't rush to settle. See how much time you have, then give it some time to see how you feel. When in doubt, talk to a good lawyer, not one of those crooks that advertise on tv. If you find a good one, they will tell you honestly if you need their services or not. Insurance companies have lots of lawyers that are there to be sure the insurance pays out as little as possible. Sometimes you need to lawyer up to level the playing field and protect yourself.
Sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you feel better.
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