Renew Your License (and Wear Clean Underwear)

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Lynette

If you ever thought about waiting to renew your license or blew off a ticket, think again. What about letting a sketchy friend borrow your car? In Illinois, your insurance may not cover you in the event of an accident. According to the matter of Founders Insurance Company v. Munoz, et al. If you do not have a “reasonable belief” that you are “entitled” to drive, then the insurance company may deny your claim. Obviously, if you do not have a valid license, you do not meet this test. So renew your license early and wear clean underwear in case you are in an accident. This way, you will keep all of your assets covered.

If you have an issue with your insurance coverage or been injured in a car accident, please call the Hoag Law Group, LLC today! Call now: 1-800HOAGLAW.

Amanda Bynes’ Traffic School

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Lynette

Actress Amanda Bynes has been given enough moving violations in the past month to keep almost every police officer, lawyer and judge in L.A. busy for weeks. Remember her? Cute, funny, little girl from All That? In less than a month she has created at least three examples of alleged poor driving behavior. Traffic school is open, class is in session and our teacher by way of poor example, is in.

If you read my blog on Lindsay Lohan’s alleged hit and run, looks like Amanda has her beat! Ms. Bynes has an alleged DUI brewing and she allegedly hit a police car. As of the writing of this blog anyway, she allegedly hit yet another car on the freeway and fled the scene. Ouch. I hope her insurance agent is sitting by his phone.

Hit and run accidents and DUIs often create insurance coverage issues, and not just for the agents dodging phone calls with new claims. Does your insurance cover you for a hit and run when you are the victim? If so, what kind of information do you need to make a claim. Some insurance companies require the license plate. Others do not.

Take a peek at your uninsured motorist coverages to find out. If you still have questions, please call the Hoag Law Group, LLC. today for your free initial consultation! Call now: 1-800HOAGLAW.

Patrick Dempsey & Your Car Insurance

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Lynette

Actor Patrick Dempsey, also known as Dr. Derek Sheppard or “McDreamy”, on Grey’s Anatomy, heroically saved (in real life) a 17 year old young man named Weston Masset from a car crash. This story was all over TMZ.Com and People Magazine. This past April 24, 2012 Masset lost control of his Mustang which flipped three times and settled upside down in a crash outside of McDreamy’s Malibu home. The Actor apparently grabbed a crowbar and fire extinguisher and pulled Masset to safety before calling 911. The victim, Masset was injured and reportedly suffered a concussion and eye injury in the crash.

It seems that Masset was in a one car accident. I would speculate that he alone is responsible for his injuries. Maybe he will blame a stray raccoon or starlet in walking by in hot pants. Regardless of the actual cause, do you ever wonder what would happen if you or someone you loved was injured in a one car accident with no one to blame but yourself or a wild animal? What would your automobile insurance cover? While most basic insurance would cover the damage to your car, what about your medical bills, pain and suffering or lost wages? Most policies have a provision for medical payments called exactly that. However, whether or not you are entitled to more is tougher question.

If you have been injured in a one car or other car accident and have questions about your coverage, please call the Hoag Law Group, LLC today!

1-800-HOAGLAW. http://www.H-L-G.com/

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Real Housewives of Chicago and Car Insurance

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Lynette

The Real Housewives brand is a product you can trust to bring bling, spray tans, cat fights, out-sized divorces and drama to a TV near you. It rarely fails to deliver the sass and shallowness that too much time, money and ego fosters. Why not a “Real Housewives of Chicago?” We have enough panache to carry the brand. Besides, you know what you are going to get. The expectations are there based on the other shows.

What about your insurance company? Do you know what you are going to get when you are in a car accident? Do you trust the brands promoted by the gekko, Flo, “Good Hands” or “Good Neighbors?” There is a simple way to find out what you might get: read your insurance policy. You know, that booklet that comes with your declarations once a year.

If you do not have a copy, call your agent and get one. Take a run through the contents page and focus on coverages first. What does your policy provide for bodily injury, liability or property damage coverage? Then take a look at the contents page and look at the exclusions. What is not covered by your policy.

If you still have questions about your policy or you have been in a car accident, please call the Hoag Law Group, LLC. today for your free initial consultation! 1800-HOAGLAW or (312) 878-7000.

Kim Kardashian’s Flour Power

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Lynette

This Friday, the Kardashians will be in town opening yet another store bearing their ubiquitous names, faces and products. If you are thinking about dropping by to bomb them with flour or other food items, you may want to think twice, and not just because you will be muscled to the floor and taken away in cuffs.

It seems clear that hitting a person with anything unwanted can be construed as a criminal assault. But did you ever wonder if some bizarre incident that happened to you was more than “just annoying” or “life changing” in a bad way? Let us take a second look at Kim’s flour bombing. It seems that she was humiliated and made late for her event at a minimum. Are these compensable items of damage? The answer is they could be to Kim or someone else of her celebrity status. In Illinois, she might be able to recover damages for negligent or intentional infliction of emotional distress from her attacker. Negligent or intentional infliction of emotional distress does not require a physical injury for recovery.

If you or someone you love has been subjected to humiliation or other unusual abuse, please call the Hoag Law Group, LLC. today for your free initial consultation! 1-800-HOAGLAW

http://www.H-L-G.com/

Check us out on Yelp! http://www.yelp.com/biz/hoag-law-group-chicago

Traffic Stops & Bobby Brown Pops

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Lynette

Did you know that the small sleepy suburb of Oak Park, Illinois recently instituted a “zero tolerance for traffic violations” policy? A tiny infraction can now generate the big pain of fines, traffic court appearances and dreaded points on the license which can lead to increased insurance rates. Ouch!

But getting a ticket for a rolling stop is nothing compared to a ticket for Driving Under the Influence (“DUI”). Just ask Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston’s ex-husband, who was popped for a DUI last week. He was pulled over because he was talking on his cell phone. Aren’t we all guilty of that from time to time?

Thankfully, no one was hurt by his alleged drunk driving. But what if you are hurt in an accident caused when someone else is violating the rules of the road and is ticketed? You should go the hearing on their ticket! Information on their ticket is often on the police report. Just check in with the clerk in court and make sure you step up when their ticket is called.

If you have been injured in a car accident while someone else was breaking the rules of the road, please call the Hoag Law Group, LLC. today for your free initial consultation! 1-800-HOAGLAW. http://www.H-L-G.com/

“Like” us on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hoag-Law-Group-LLC

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Hit & Run and Lindsay Lohan

Posted on March 16, 2012 by admin

Lindsay Lohan is in the news again and has provided yet another teaching opportunity for the masses by her “bad behavior.” This time, she is involved in an alleged hit and run accident. The story is that she “bumped” a hookah lounge manager’s knee with her Porsche and then left the scene without talking to the allegedly injured manager and/or preparing a police report. It could happen to anyone right?

Technically, anytime you are involved in the slightest questionable contact “no damage accident” and leave the scene, you are a hit and run driver. Should this happen to you, at a minimum you should talk to the parties involved to see if you and the other parties involved agree on what happened.

Fleeing the scene of an accident and hoping for the best is not only “bad behavior” but it is flirting with a potentially denied insurance claim. Why? Because you left the scene of an accident without reporting it to the police. Get names, addresses and insurance information of anyone you hit with your car or think you might have hit with your car. You might even want to take pictures to document the absence of injury or damage. If you are concerned that person you hit your uptown car will change their tune and decide to claim injury or damage from the low impact accident, complete a police report and tell your insurance company.

Whether or not a claim is ever made, you will not be in the unenviable position Lindsay Lohan is in now by her actions. That is, turning a low or no impact accident into a news!

f you have been injured in a hit and run or other car accident, please call the Hoag Law Group, LLC today!

Lynette Simmons Hoag

Hoag Law Group, LLC

3727 N. Kedzie Avenue

Chicago, IL 60618

1(800)HOAGLAW

(312) 878-7000 phone

(312) 878-7001 (fax)

Dr. Murray Appeals, without an attorney

Posted on December 4, 2011 by admin

Dr. Murray has filed an appeal without an attorney. He is fighting for his life on several fronts, the least of which is likely malpractice insurance coverage for the death of Michael Jackson. Stay tuned! I’m sure Dr. Murray will find an attorney to represent him for the publicity alone.

What’s Next for Dr. Conrad Murray?

Posted on November 16, 2011 by admin

I recently blogged that Dr. Conrad Murray had to fight the charge of involuntary manslaughter in the event he had medical malpractice insurance. In spite to the guilty verdict that would likely void coverage (assuming he was insured) it is still likely that he will still face civil suit from the Jackson Clan. I will be surprised if he escapes a second suit and trial. So I’ll keep watching the headlines.

Dr. Conrad Murray and Medical Malpractice Insurance?

Posted on October 30, 2011 by admin

If you’re wondering why Dr. Conrad Murray is fighting so hard in the criminal trial, think Medical Malpractice insurance coverage. Assuming he has it and assuming the Jackson Clan is gearing up for a medical malpractice suit, in most cases, a criminal conviction will void the policy. In short, Dr. Murray has no choice but to fight for his innocence. Everyone is watching for the verdict!