Steven Montag

Montag Law Office Lincoln

Steven Montag Personal Injury Lawyer

Montag Law Office Lincoln

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Firm Summary

According to the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT), there were 34,890 Nebraska crashes in 2016 that resulted in 17,962 injuries and 218 fatalities.  Barring any dramatic reductions in accident rates, most Nebraskans will eventually be involved in an accident, and about half of those people will be injured.  Most motor vehicle accidents are caused by negligent driving.  Accidents caused by negligence result in stressful emergency room visits and are often followed by painful recovery periods.

Our Car Accident Attorneys start with a thorough investigation of the circumstances of your accident.  We identify all parties who contributed to causing the accident.  A proper investigation involves reviewing the police report, interviewing all witnesses and evaluating road conditions at the scene of the accident.  Photographing the vehicles involved and the accident scene is normally required.  Employing accident reconstruction specialists can also be part of making a strong case to prepare for litigation.

Insurance companies make their money by paying out as little as possible for injury claims.  If you have injured by someone else’s negligent driving, you need an auto accident attorney to stand up to the insurance company.  Car Accident Attorney Steven Montag deals effectively with aggressive insurance companies.  His practice is exclusively dedicated to helping injured people.  Our car accident lawyers do not work for insurance companies and we never defend anyone who has caused a car accident.

Insurance Company Practices

Disputing fault for clear liability car accidents is a common insurance company tactic.  Although more than one driver can contribute to the cause of an accident, most accidents are caused entirely by one negligent driver.  In Nebraska, the amount of a settlement or court judgment is lowered if the accident victim is partly responsible for causing the accident.  An injury victim is completely barred from recovering damages from another driver if the injury victim is determined to be 50% or more at fault.  Insurance companies like to see contributory negligence where none exists.  When there is a liability dispute, you need an experienced car accident lawyer who has a thorough grasp of the details of Nebraska Car Injury Law.  Your auto injury attorney needs to be someone tough who will not let you be pushed into taking less money than you deserve.

Another way that insurance companies try to avoid liability for causing injuries is to say that you were not injured in the accident.  They like to say that an accident was too minor to cause an injury.  Although the severity of the impact affects the severity of the injuries, vehicle damage and injury severity are not exactly the same thing.  Many factors including the direction of the impact and your posture at the time of the accident can affect your injuries.  Also, no two people are exactly alike.  Your age and health at the time of the car accident can affect how susceptible you are to being injured.  Another thing that often happens is that the insurance company will say that the auto injury either predated the accident or that you were injured later.  Even if you were not in perfect health before the accident the at-fault driver should be held responsible for your change of condition.  Often the doctor who is best able to comment on your health before and after an accident is a family doctor who treated you before and after the accident.  Prompt medical treatment and identification of accident-related injuries help defeat claims that something else caused the injury later.

Disputes about the reasonableness of your treatment or the amount of your doctors’ bills often occur.  It is always important to get an appropriate amount of beneficial treatment and to be aware of excessive billing.  As an auto injury attorney who has practiced in Lincoln and Nebraska for over 19 years, I am aware of many of the problem doctors who often engage in excessive treatment or billing and who should be avoided.  However, when an insurance company complains about excessive medical bills, it is more likely to be the result of a disingenuous attempt to be stingy and undervalue the claim rather than a real problem with the amount of treatment or billing.

Statements about the car accident are a normal part of investigating liability.  It is a mistake to forget who you are dealing with.  You do not want to be lulled into complacency by a friendly sounding insurance adjuster.  Their statements are usually designed to bring out information that could be used against you.  It is important to have an experienced auto injury attorney involved whenever giving a statement, especially when dealing with an insurance adjuster for another driver’s insurance company.

Delaying tactics are to be expected.  Whether you are trying to be paid for your car or attempting to settle an injury claim insurance companies like to drag their feet.  One reason for the delay is to get past the applicable statute of limitations.  Many negligence claims must be completed or filed in court within for years.  Other claims involving defendants who are government entities may have shorter time limits.  It is best to have an experienced Nebraska Auto Injury Attorney to correctly keep track of the time requirements for your injury claim.

Independent insurance adjusters are usually extremely difficult to deal with.  They are often used by small insurance companies or out of state insurance companies to evaluate property damage claims.  Independent insurance adjusters often have the worst attitudes in the business.  I think it is a normal part of competing for business with insurance companies.  Many people are discouraged by rough treatment and the company likes the results when they get away with undervaluing claims.

Steven A. Montag is very experienced.  He provides aggressive professional representation for Lincoln Nebraska auto accident injury victims.  Mr. Montag has helped thousands of people make successful injury claims since 1998.