Category: Denver Personal Injury Attorney

After being involved in a crash, many people find out that the insurance company has deemed their vehicle a total loss.  This can be a very stressful situation.  If you are driving a newer car that is still financed, you worry that the insurance company’s offer won’t fully cover the amount remaining on your loan.  For people whose cars are paid off, they worry that the amount they receive won’t be enough for them to purchase a comparable vehicle.

In Colorado, insurers are required to pay the fair market value for a vehicle deemed to be a total loss. Fair market value is the amount that you could have sold your vehicle for, prior to it being involved in the crash.

If you learn that your car is a total loss, you should immediately start looking at online auto sales sites for the same make and model of your car.  Focus your search on cars in your area with similar mileage and added features.  Assemble enough information to give you a general idea of the price of comparable vehicles in your area.  If you can, save or print everything you find.  When the adjuster calls you to make an offer, you should already have a fair price range in mind.  Once they make an offer, they will generally only give you a few more days in a rental vehicle, so being prepared is very important.

If the adjuster makes an offer that you believe is unfair, be prepared to provide them with the documents you located showing sales of comparable vehicles in your area.  Also, if you recently added anything new to your car or had any mechanical work completed, have the receipts available to give to the adjuster.  Most adjusters will reevaluate their offers if you provide sufficient evidence for a higher value.

Many insurance companies use outside services to assemble data for total loss offers.  When you receive an offer for a totaled car, you should always ask the adjuster for a copy of the report they used to determine their offer.  This is especially true in a situation where their offer is lower than the price range you discovered during your research.  Once you receive the report, go through it very carefully and make sure it lists truly comparable vehicles.  If you believe the report did not use comparable vehicles or that it unfairly deducted value from your vehicle, you should call the adjuster to review the report.  Again, some adjusters will reevaluate the offer if you provide evidence of a flaw in the report.

Unfortunately, many people with newer cars find themselves in a situation where they owe more for their vehicle than the fair market value.  If you find yourself in this situation, you should review your purchase documents to see if you bought gap insurance when you purchased your car.  If you have gap coverage, it can be used to cover the difference between the fair market value and the amount you owe on your vehicle.

Finally, if you are working with your own insurance company regarding a total loss, you should review your policy and become familiar with any appeal processes they might have in place should you disagree with the final offer they make on your claim.  Make sure you follow any appeal procedures outlined in your policy.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an automobile collision, contact an experienced Denver car accident attorney at Donaldson Law, LLC at (303)-458-5000 to discuss your legal options.

Any dog can become dangerous given the right circumstances; however, certain breeds have a reputation for becoming vicious and attacking. According to Denver Ordinance Sections 8-55, Pit bull-type dogs are banned from the City & County of Denver. Pit bull-type dogs include Staffordshire bull terriers, American pit bull terriers, and American Staffordshire terriers.

Under 8-55, a dog showing a significant number of the physical traits associated listed by the United Kennel Club or the American Kennel Club will qualify as a pit bull.

Under 8-55, if a dog owner violates the ban on the aforementioned breeds, he or she will be required to relocate the dog outside of the city and county to another area where the breed is not restricted. Violators will be held responsible for any boarding fees and fines associated with relocating the dog.

If you or a loved one was bitten by one of Denver’s dangerous breeds, or a generally vicious dog, contact Donaldson Law, LLC at (303)-458-5000 to discuss your legal options with an experienced dog bite attorney in Denver.

Many people who have been injured in a collision with a skier or snowboarder are reluctant to pursue a claim against the other party, even when it’s clear that the collision was the other party’s fault.  They worry that any monetary compensation they receive for their injuries will have to be paid personally by the skier or snowboarder who collided with them.  Typically this is not the case.  Most ski collision claims are covered by homeowners or renters insurance.

If you hire Donaldson Law, LLC to represent you for your ski collision, one of our first tasks will be to determine whether the at-fault party is a homeowner or a renter.  Once this is determined we can submit the claim to the appropriate homeowners’ or renters’ insurer.  If the at-fault party is uncooperative, additional investigation may be required to locate insurance policies available to the defendant.  If an exhaustive investigation determines that the at-fault party did not have any insurance in place at the time of the crash, we will have discussions with you about your rights and whether it would be appropriate to file suit.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another skier or snowboarder,  contact our Denver ski and snowboard collisions Lawyer at Donaldson Law, LLC by calling (303)-458-5000 for a free consultation.