Practice Areas
- Personal Injury
- Automobile Accidents
- Wrongful Death
- Product Liability
- Medical Malpractice
- Premises Liability
- Dog Bites/Pet Attacks
- Industrial Accidents and Worker’s Compensation
Van Dorn Blog 
Automobile Accidents
- Appeals Court Upholds $16 Million Bad Faith Claim Against Allstate
- Insurance Institute Conducts Pickup Truck Safety Tests
- New Hampshire Man Dies In Motorcycle Accident
- Vermont Makes Roads Safer
- Laconia Motorcycle Week
- New Hampshire Motorcycle Safety Awareness Campaign
- True Story
Dog Bites/Pet Attacks
Medical Malpractice
Personal Injury
- Senate Passes Safety Bill for Toys
- Research Your Potential Personal Injury Attorney
- I Call Insurance Company Rules!
- HR 6126: The Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act
- Three Injured in Separate ATV Accidents
- Insurance Companies and Personal Injury Lawyers
- Unethical Lawyers
- "...an informed client is our best client."
- New Hampshire Personal Injury Law
- Beware of Settlement Mills
Attorney Fees
General
Samples Cases
Automobile Accidents
$875,000 recovered for man injured in automobile/bicycle accident
$750,000 recovered for rear-end auto accident resulting in back surgery
Dog Bites/Pet Attacks
Industrial Accidents and Worker’s Compensation
$1,400,000 recovered for victim of industrial accident
Other
$600,000 recovered for man injured in logging accident
$1,600,000 Settlement for Civil Rights Case
Legal News
Little progress in bridge repairs across US...
Two Window Washers Die in Accident at NYC Building...
Appeals Court Upholds $16 Million Verdict Against Allstate...
Insurance tests raise questions about some pickups...
Allstate Ranks as Worst Insurer for Consumers...
Drew Griffin Tonight - "Keeping them Honest."...
Manchester New Hampshire man dies in motorcycle accident...
Teen fleeing Rottweiler fractures skull...
2008 Presidential Candidates Respond to Ten Questions About Their Health Care Reform Proposals...
Insurance Companies and Their New Dirty Tricks
We often write about how insurance companies are motivated by money. As the insurance companies see it, their function is not to help you when you are sick or injured. Insurance companies are focused on their bottom line. Their function is to make money, and insurance companies don’t make money by paying out claims. Insurance companies make money by collecting your premiums and then figuring out ways to limit your payout, or deny your claim all together. Recently, insurance companies have been developing new tricks to increase their profits. Among their new tricks are voiding policies once an insured makes a claims and pressuring claimants to find other means of benefits, such as disability.
Though it seems unethical, insurance companies have become skilled at voiding insurance policies after a claim is filed. What the companies do is they accept an application for insurance and collect your premiums. Then, if one of their policy holders makes a claim, they will sift through the application for any piece of information they can use to void the policy. For those who have applied for insurance coverage, you know how much information the insurance companies ask for. One mistake on that application and the insurance company will try to void your policy. These companies have gone so far as to void an insurance policy while the claimant was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. The insurance company found a difference between the claimant’s weight as listed on her application, and the claimant’s actual weight. It has been discovered that some insurance companies give their employees bonuses for the number of claims they deny and the number of policies they void.
Aside from voiding policies outright, insurance companies use other means to avoid paying out policy claims. Insurance companies will also encourage, and often pressure their policy holders to seek other means of medical benefits. A former insurance exec recently revealed that his company forced claimants to file for Social Security Disability benefits. If a claimant refused to apply for the benefits, the company used this as leverage to reduce or eliminate their payouts. If a claimant is denied disability benefits, sometimes the insurance companies require the claimant to go through a protracted appeals process. If a claimant does receive disability benefits, the insurance companies will subtract the amount paid in disability benefits from the claimant’s policy payout. Essentially, insurance companies have the authority to determine who may receive benefits and the authority to pay benefits. As some have argued, this creates a conflict of interest.
If you have been the victim of personal injury in Vermont or New Hampshire, it is important to hire a full service law firm. Don’t fall for the attorney advertisements that claim they will get you money fast. Full service law firms will not just take your claims to court, or negotiate a settlement. Full service firms have the expertise to deal with insurance companies and negotiate medical liens.
Free Consultation
To speak about your case with the lawyers of Van Dorn and Curtiss, complete the form below or call us on our toll free number: 1-866-632-8980
Van Dorn & Curtiss
633 Main Street
Route 10
P.O. Box 263
Orford, NH 03777-0263
Phone: (866) 632-8980
FAQs
Personal Injury
- Am I eligible for a personal injury lawsuit?
- How do the attorneys determine how much my personal injury claim may be worth?
- When I meet with a personal injury attorney for my first consultation, what information should I provide?
Automobile Accidents
- I was in an automobile accident and the payout offered by the insurance company seems low. What should I do?
- I was injured in a car accident and it was the other driver's fault. They didn't have insurance...what can I do?
- I was injured in a car accident and my car sustained very little visual damage. The other driver was at fault and their insurance company is denying my claim. They say because there was so little damage to the car, I am lying about my injury...what can I do?
Wrongful Death
- I recently lost a loved one in an accident. What are my rights?
- How do I bring a wrongful death claim?
- What is a survival action?
Medical Malpractice
- Is it true that legislators are attempting to limit medical malpractice recovery in New Hampshire?
- What are some specific types of medical malpractice?
- My spouse recently died while being treated at a hospital. I think the hospital did something wrong, but the hospital won't release the medical records...what can I do?
Premises Liability
- Are hotels responsible for criminal acts that take place on their property?
- What is premises liability?
- I was injured on someone else's property...now what?
Dog Bites/Pet Attacks
- My child was bitten by a neighbor's dog and the neighbor refuses to pay the medical bills. What should I do?
- How many people are bitten by dogs each year?
- What is the one-bite rule?