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Friday, August 28, 2015
By Michael Nichols
Categories: Wendy M. Schiller-Nichols
When people are injured in auto accidents they are all of a sudden bombarded with information, some of it legitimate but a lot of it is intended to misguide. "When I googled some catch phrases I was astonished and appalled to find a lot of misinformation on the internet. Most of it appeared to be insurance companies trying to guide people away from the path of filing a lawsuit," says Michigan personal injury attorney Wendy Schiller-Nichols. Schiller-Nichols has an office based in East Lansing from which she helps injured people all over the state, sometimes without even filing a lawsuit.
If you are hurt in an auto accident case, it is important to know your rights. The first thing to understand is whether you have insurance coverage. The second thing to understand is whether the other driver has insurance coverage. Schiller-Nichols says "you should contact your insurance company but you should not sign any documents whatsoever without first reviewing them with a qualified attorney."
Knowledge is power -- and making sure to understand the extent of your injuries and documenting them with photos, medical records, prescriptions for things like pain management are all important. Schiller-NIchols says "you may be entitled to money to compensate you for your pain and help you try to have a normal life to the extent possible - but if I do not have the tools to prove your case that puts us both in a bad position because the insurance company's lawyers and representatives will know that you might have a tough time proving your damages to a jury."
With an office in the shadow of the State Capitol, Schiller-Nichols is staying on the cutting edge of legal developments. She says "for example we are watching Senate Bill 248, which is pending in the Michigan House. This is the controversial bill that would eliminate the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association and even limit the way injured people are compensated and the amount insurance companies are required to pay for services for people in need. Until we crackdown on uninsured motorists and fix the roads and bridges that sometimes cause these accidents we should not make such radical changes that limit what insurance companies pay to help people who are injured."
For a lawyer on the cutting edge and who is committed to results, call Michigan's own Wendy Schiller-Nichols at 517 432 9000 or email her at wsnichols@nicholslaw.net