“I Didn’t Realize I Had So Few Friends”Minneapolis, MN, August, 2002 – When Daniel Prins’ wife was injured in a car crash he thought all he had to do was notify his insurance company to get matters resolved. After all, another driver who was charged with DWI hit his wife Johanna and she was taken to
hospital by ambulance.
After weeks of frustration, Prins, Marketing Consultant, built an Internet Assistance Program “The Car Crash Victims Alliance Of America.” The site provides free information for car crash victims on how to protect themselves against serious financial exposure (http://www.carcrashvictims.citymax.com).
“I Didn’t Realize I Had So Few Friends”
While insurance company claims personnel are usually courteous, Prins had no idea that his wife’s case was immediately “compartmentalized”. He had to deal with a cast of about a dozen (medical bills from hospital, his own and other driver’s main insurance contact, police, claims adjusters, property damage, etc.). In process, he found out that most of these individuals have their own agenda. Said Prins:” I believe only people truly on our side were Emergency Crew and Police at scene of accident.”
Accident Frequency Is Astonishing
About 42,000 people are killed on our nation's highways each year. The fact is vehicle crashes are an even greater threat to life and health in U.S. than crime! In 2000, there was one murder every 34 minutes, while one person died from a traffic crash every 13 minutes. There was one violent crime every 22 seconds, but one crash-related injury every 10 seconds. Traffic crashes are leading cause of death in U.S. for people ages 6-33, and their economic cost is estimated to be $230.6 billion per year.
Victim-unfriendly Environment
The lack of clear rules and rights overwhelms car crash victims, often traumatized and shell-shocked. This is especially true in states with No-Fault provisions and damage limits. Even more disconcerting is that it is difficult to obtain good information. The Internet’s search engines, for example, provide few clues for victims and are skewed to offering suggestions and advice for accident perpetrators and those seeking DWI defense.
