Car Accident step by step guide Part 1: What do you believe?

You are in a car accident...what do you do?  The best thing you can do is to know what and what not to do BEFORE the car accident.

For the next several weeks we will discussing this in a step by step process.



The first thing you need to know....do not listen to your friends or family or believe what you have heard.  

Myths are usually enjoyable..you get some smile out of them. Urban legends are even better. UNLESS the Myths are about your car accident and your back injury.  I truly believe the myths were started by the insurance companies to deny your claim.

Information provided by:  Car Accident Facts:

Myth #1:   Your car has little or no damage how could you have hurt your back?  Some of the smallest car accidents have caused the biggest injuries.  I thing Insurance Companies have decided if your car isn't "hurt" than how can you be?  

Bumpers on most of our cars these days were designed to tolerate some impacts without damage. What the studies have been finding, is that although your car does not look damaged, the force of the other car hitting yours is now moving into your body, the bumper tolerates it, but the force still has to go somewhere, and you are where it goes.So, do not allow damage to your car or LACK of damage in any way inform whether you are injured. If you need treatment for back pain after a car accident, your pain is real and you should get the help you need.

Myth #2:  I had my seat belt on (didn't get thrown from the car) how could you have injured your back?

Well, it does actually, the seat belt is designed to prevent you from being thrown against the steering wheel which used to cause tragic injuries and it prevents you from being thrown out of the car.However, when you are in your seatbelt, and you are in an accident, you are often thrown against the belt. The seat belt sort of acts like a brick wall, when the accident occurs you are thrown against it, it tightens, and your body keeps moving around it, causing shoulder injuries, bruising and damage where the seat belt tightened against your body, and whiplash symptoms as your neck was not restrained.

Myth #3:  You weren't hurt right after the car accident, it's now three weeks later and you are claiming a back injury.

Your pain and your injury are just as real as the person who went to the hospital in an ambulance after a car accident. Injuries in your muscles and ligaments and tendons for unknown reasons can take a long time to show up.

Myth #4:  You are just "sore" take a pill (Advil, Ibuprofen, etc.) and it will go away.

Unlike other injuries you may have experienced, most small accidents can take up to 3 months with steady treatment before your pain starts to change. Ibuprofen can make the day a little more tolerable, but it's not actually a medicine, and can not help your muscles heal and repair their injuries.

Listen to your body, not the insurance companies, or friends, or family or whoever is trying to tell you that you aren't hurt because of any of the above.  Go to a trusted Doctor to find out exactly what is wrong.  Back injuries can cause many problems that you may not recognize as being a back injury (tingling or numbness of the legs, trouble breathing, etc).  LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!  A back injury, no matter what the reason that caused it, can change your life forever.  It will change it more drastically if the injury isn't discovered and/or treated soon enough.  

Not all back injuries are the same.  Not all "identical" injuries will be received the same...what may cause one person "little" pain may cause another extreme pain.  Only you know your body and only you and your Doctor can treat your back injury.  Be honest, be patient and work your treatment.

In every blog in this step by step process I am going to tell you to contact an Attorney!  You need someone who will fight for you.  Stay tuned for the next step.

If you are hurt in a car accident, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR INJURIES ARE, consult an Attorney!  The best way to heal is let someone else fight your battle with the insurance companies and it is a BATTLE!!  



Like Zeisler & Associates, Attorney at Law, PC on Facebook or visit their website.

Pueblo Office: 113 W. 12th Street  (Map it)

Colorado Springs Office:  422 E. Vermijo Ave., Suite 412 (Map it)

The Value of a Vacation

Vacations...we all need them, we all dream of them, we all worry about affording them.  



Just with anything you shop for, to get the best value you must put in some time and do your homework.  The internet has made this easier but I still find picking up the phone and calling one of the best ways to do my homework.  I like the beach so when I hit the internet and start searching for the best deals...the prices go up the longer I look.  Now this could be my imagination but I have found when I move to a different computer I can get those "first deals" I originally saw.  


So what do I do?  I pick up the phone and call.  Whether it's Apple Vacations, Yahoo Travel or one of the many other vacation sites I find calling gets me the best deals.  

I love the beach (have I mentioned that) so I call and say
1.  I want to go to the beach.
2.  I want all-inclusive.
3.  I don't want these areas.
4.  There are two adults and I don't want to spend more than $850.00 per person.
5.  Must be a minimum of seven nights.


It takes a bit of time but I have never been disappointed.  On one occasion I spent more than my $850.00 per person but I have to say it was WELL WORTH IT.  At that time we went to Cabo (Los Cabos) and stayed at Secrets Marquis so here's a little plug for them.  FANTASTIC VACATION! 


So how do you save for a vacation?  It's a simple trick that won't cost you a dime...

Whether you are one person or a family you can do this.  Decide where you want to go.  Print pictures of that destination out and decorate your vacation fund box. I suggest using a large water bottle. Loose change, a couple of bills add up quickly and let's be honest; if they are in your pocket or purse you are going to spend them on something you really don't need anyway, right.  

Imagine this decorated with the destination of your choice.  Each night you drop in your loose change and bills.  When it's full you cash it in. 

Here is where it gets dangerous...you have the money.  I always suggest turning it into a money order and placing in back into the jar.  Money orders are normally good for one year and if it's in the jar you can't easily get your hands on it. 

Continue until you have enough for your dream vacation.  It will happen before you know it!  

If you are a family planning on doing this imagine the fun you can have decorating this.  



We all want a vacation...but we also need a vacation.  They help us recharge our batteries and survive the daily grind of living.  

Where do you plan on going?