Why Insurance Rates Are So High

I tried to settle a case against Fred Loya Insurance Company this week. It is a simple case that should be settled. Fred Loya's insured rear-ended my client's vehicle. There is no dispute as to who is at fault. My client was hurt. A board-certified radiologist found that she has a herniated disc, and a board-certified neurosurgeon says that she needs additional, invasive treatment, such an epidural block or, if that fails, spine surgery. The medical bills thus far are over $18,500, and Fred Loya's insured only has a $25,000 policy.

We offered to settle the case for the $25,000 policy limits. Fred Loya's response: They offered $3,500.00, less than one-fifth of my client's medical bills. There are no reason for these games.

I will make Fred Loya pay on this case, but to do so I will have to file a lawsuit, putting Fred Loya's insured through the stress of being served with legal papers, being interrogated under oath, and going through a trial. Fred Loya will end up spending more on lawyers fees, depositions, experts, and other costs than it would have spent to settle the case.

So when you wonder why your insurance premiums are so high, ask why these companies spend so much money forcing their own customers to be sued, rather than just treating people fairly be paying reasonable compensation early on.

Why I Do What I Do

On December 12, 2009, truck driver Thomas M. Wallace crashed his tractor-trailer into a disabled car, killing Julie Stratton, the 33 year old mother of two young boys. This tragedy was no mere accident. Not only had Wallace been on on duty for 27 hours--far more than the 14 hours allowed by Federal safety regulations; not only had Wallace kept a falsified log book to try to cover up his rulebreaking; but Wallace was actually watching porn on his lapop while driving. This fatigue and distraction kept his attention off the road and as a result there are two little boys who lost their mother.

Unfortunately, this type of behavior is far to common. For that reason, I and the other lawyers at The Cowen Law Group will keep working to hold trucking companies accountable when the violate safety rules and hurt people.

Feds Finally Ban Texting While Driving 18 Wheelers

The federal government finally took some action to protect motorists from the dangers created by careless tractor-trailer drivers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a new regulation barring commercial motor vehicle operators from texting while driving.

That's a good step. Now we need to bar talking on the cell phone and using the internet or Qualcomm. 18-wheelers take longer to stop, and are full of blind spots. Their drivers need to devote their full attention to driving, and not be distracted by texts and phone calls.

Hopefully our police officers will enforce this important new safety rule.