What happens if I don’t agree with the insurance company’s estimate of my car value?
If your car has been totaled in an accident, your insurance company should pay you the replacement value of your car. If you don’t agree with your insurance company’s estimate of your car’s value, you are not stuck with whatever the insurance company offers you. It’s best to get a few written estimates from auto dealers or appraisers regarding what they think your car was worth before it was totaled in the accident. If the estimates are higher than what you’re being offered by the insurance company, let the company know. If they still won’t offer you what the car is worth, contact our law firm, PritzkerOlsen, P.A, at 612-338-0202 or 1-888-377-8900. You may also submit our free consultation form.
For more information, please see our 10 tips for getting fair car value.
Minnesota Drunk Driver Accident: Dram Shop Claim
What is a Dram Shop?
In 18th Century England, thousands of so-called “gin-shops” sold homemade gin by the dram (about a spoonful). Today’s legal system considers any establishment selling liquor as a modern day equivalent of these “dram shops” of the 1700’s.
What is Minnesota Dram Shop Law?
Minnesota law holds these establishments responsible for the dangerous actions of an intoxicated person when they have illegally sold liquor to that person. In addition to bars and liquor stores, these establishments can include restaurants, social clubs, and even private events where liquor is sold.
Under Minnesota Statutes, Section 340.801, Subdivision 1:
A spouse, child, parent, guardian, employer, or other person injured in person, property, or means of support, or who incurs other pecuniary loss by an intoxicated person or by the intoxication of another person, has a right of action in the person’s own name for all damages sustained against a person who caused the intoxication of that person by illegally selling alcoholic beverages.
While selling liquor to an obviously intoxicated customer represents the most common dram shop violation, the illegal sale of intoxicating beverages can take other forms, such as:
- Selling liquor without a license to do so;
- Selling liquor after hours; or
- Selling liquor to a minor.
Our lawyers can help you determine if a dram shop violation played a role in your Minnesota auto accident. As public safety advocates, we believe it is important to hold parties liable who engage in illegal activity, especially when there is a high likelihood that people will be seriously injured or killed. Read our previous post about a young man who was paralyzed in an accident involving an underage driver who was allegedly sold liquor at an Albertsons grocery store.
To contact a Minnesota car accident lawyer at PritzkerOlsen, please call 612-338-0202, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or submit our free consultation form.
What Rights Do I Have When the Minnesota Auto Accident Was Not My Fault?
You have the right to have your medical bills paid and your wage loss reimbursed. This comes from no-fault coverage on your car. You also have the right to make a claim against the driver who caused the accident. In that claim, you may recover damages (money) for pain, suffering, disability, disfigurement, emotional distress, loss of earning capacity and other losses that may have occurred. The money for these losses is paid by the other person’s insurance company.
You also have the right to get your car fixed, or, if it’s totaled, get the value of the car as it was just before the accident. This is called a property damage claim. It can be made against your company if you have what’s known as “comprehensive” coverage. You may also have the right to collect that damage from the other person’s insurance company.
To contact a Minnesota car accident lawyer at PritzkerOlsen, please call 612-338-0202, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or submit our free consultation form.
What to Do after a Minnesota Auto Accident
If you have been injured in a Minnesota auto accident, you need to contact your insurance agent and promptly report the accident. Your insurance policy may require you to cooperate with your insurance company. However, your insurance company is going to look out for its own interests before it looks out for yours, so it’s a good idea to talk to a lawyer before you talk to your insurance company.
If your auto accident involved another vehicle, you will be called by representatives of the other insurance company. Whatever you say can be used against you, so DO NOT TALK TO THEM. Their goal is to settle the case as soon as possible for as little as possible, and they can be relentless. If you retain our law firm, we will contact the insurance company and tell them to stop calling you and deal with us instead.
As soon as you are able, keep a daily journal of how you feel physically, emotionally and mentally. Write down the story of how the injuries from the accident are affecting your life. If your child was injured, keep a journal about your child’s life after the accident. This will be important when we seek compensation for you and your family.
To contact a Minnesota car accident lawyer at the Pritzker law firm about a Minnesota auto accident claim, please call 612-338-0202, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or submit our online consultation form.
