The Patriots had a chance to win the Super Bowl, and like many loyal New England fans, I was disappointed to see them lose, especially the way they did and to the New York Giants– again.

As many of you who read my blogs know, I enjoy sports– especially the competition.
We learn many life lessons on the field of competition.
We learn what it is like to lay it all on the line for something we really want– victory.
We learn of winning and the pain of losing.
We learn how to do battle; to be gracious in victory.
It is the pain of defeat and disappointment that motivates and energizes us to victory next time.

Sounds a lot like being an injury lawyer.
But for that matter it is a lot like a lot of jobs.
Everyone can relate.

Yet when it is all said and done, sports are just sports.
The disappointment of the Patriot loss was quickly placed into proper perspective when I saw some human tragedy– a dad trying with everything he’s got to have a relationship with his two year old son, only to be stonewalled and denied by a vindictive ex-wife who only feels her own pain and feels it is best for her child that he have no relationship with his dad.

This morning at work, not all too many hours after the game, I was quickly reminded of other very real human suffering– a mom dealing with her son’s accident related injuries, and his near tragic ordeal.

Keeping it in perspective…

These days I believe sports has become the new religion.
And that is not a good thing by any means.
They are not life and death — no matter how seriously we take them.
Our world is full of very real suffering.
You don’t have to be involved in personal injury law to see it.
It is all around us.
No original or brilliant insight here, but some truth.

I truly think the fans take these losses harder than many if the players, who move on to their next big contract.

And, as a friend of mine who was a real big Pittsburgh Steeler fan once observed — none of the Steelers gave a crap when he was going through all his struggles.

So, ya, the Patriot loss is tough to take… But in the long run, will it really matter?

Keep your strength,
Charles A Donahue
Injury attorney and street side philosopher

Today it happened again, and it happens all too often.
A lady came to see me about her injury case.
She was hoping the insurance company would treat her fairly, and she learned a tough lesson– the insurance company offered her a deal all right, a raw deal.

The word needs to go out to all injury victims: just don’t bother dealing with the insurance company.
Call an experienced personal injury attorney.
It costs nothing to learn your rights.

I know I can help the lady who saw me today.
I can help you too.

Today I helped a client at the Lowell District Court– in Mass, it’s the city where I grew up and the court where I, as a law student, worked for a lawyer who represented a lot of clients.
Last time I was there was 30 years ago– time flies.
I didn’t have gray hair then and was the youngest one in the courtroom– seemed that way any way.
Today this personal injury lawyer got to mingle at the same stomping grounds.
The Assistant District Attorneys who seemed so experienced to me then are a little older than my son who is a first year law student.
Today I was one of the old guys– and I’m still a young fellow at 53!
But three decades of working in the law profession takes its toll I guess.

Lowell is and always was a jungle, a melting pot of everyone from everywhere.
Although it was great to make a return visit, and to actually see some old faces and shoot the breeze, I was glad to return to the sanity of our Live Free or Die state of New Hampshire.

With few exceptions like today I am a full time injury lawyer, doing accident cases, personal injury stuff like medical malpractice and wrongful death.

Today I returned to my roots as criminal defense lawyer to help a family friend. And its a good thing the court staff was so helpful because things change and to be honest I would have been a liitle lost. What looked like minor charges had some heavy duty potential consequences. Things could have remained on my client’s record for a long time and potentially affected future work opportunities. Thankfully I did not take things for granted, asked the right questions, got the right help, and was able to work out a spectacular result for my guy.

The longer I do this job the more I realize I don’t have all the answers.
But I sure as heck know how to get them.

Keep your strength.

Was talking to a friend who represents insurance companies.
It’s a job and he’s a decent guy.
He tells me a familiar story these days.
The insurance companies pay his bills.
They hire him.
They treat their own lawyers like dirt— not all, but many.

So where on earth do you injury victim stand with these same companies?
Lower than dirt.
Don’t trust them.
Get an injury lawyer.

It is about the money.

Keep your strength.

Injury victims should take nothing for granted.
It costs nothing to talk with an experienced injury lawyer, so make the call.

I am working on a very serious accident case. My client got smashed up real bad. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time– that’s how these cases go. A real nice lady who was just getting by, the last thing she needed was to be involved in a life threatening crash which still has her hospitalized.

The girl who caused the accident just got her license. She was totally at fault. As is often the case, she carried very little automobile insurance. Her insurance company, seeing no way out of the mess, and real glad she did not carry a big policy, decided to tender ( offer) the policy to close the case.

Generally speaking injury victims are stuck with the insurance of the wrongdoer, for better or worse.
( this is why it is imperative everybody carry excellent UN/underinsured protection— the subject of another blog.)

Sound good?
Not so fast.

Before agreeing this was the end of the road, I was able to determine that the girl was covered under her parents’ insurance policy too.

I am not saying the girl’s insurance company was playing dirty by wanting to close it out based on their policy only.
I think this guy just did not know she was covered by another insurance policy.
It is not his job to CARE about such things really.

BUt it is the job of your injury, accident, personal injury attorney to care about such things.
It makes all the difference in the world.

Just give me a call.
As my ads have said for years, it costs nothing to talk with me, and I don’t get paid unless you win.

Speaking of those ads, I can’t tell you how many times over the years I have had youngsters all over the City of Keene quote me that when they see me around town.

Keep your strength.

I heard that Carnival Cruise Lines is offering all survivors of the Costa Concordia ship wreck a discount of 30 percent on a future cruise.

Give me a break.

As an injury lawyer I do a ton of negotiating, and this is ludicrous.

I’m willing to bet that in the final analysis, when the rubber meets the road, those victims will do a lot better than that.

Just goes to show— never accept a first offer.

Sounds like this cruise liner is taking lessons from the insurance industry.

I hear it from well-intentioned injury victims all the time — Why should MY insurance company pay for my medical bills when it was not my fault?

MY insurance company.

If only the insurance companies had the same kind of loyalty and allegiance to its policyholders.

But they don’t.

Generally speaking it is a good idea for an injury victim to pay the medical bills from their own auto insurance policy. This is called Med-Pay, medical payment provision.

The insurance company charges you fr this. You’ve been paying for it. The essence of the benefit is that if you get in an accident your insurance company will pay your medical bills related to the accident up to the limit of the policy– usually 1k, 5k or 10k.

By the way it is a good idea to buy as much of this coverage as you can. It is not very expensive and affords good coverage.

If your health insurance company or Medicare or Medicaid pays your bills, chances are real good you will need to pay them back, although at a discounted amount. However, in New Hampshire accident victims do not have to pay back their auto insurance carrier for Med Pay benefits used. All the more reason to use Med Pay, and when it is exhausted then go to another form of insurance.

You paid for it— use it. It is in your financial interest to do so.

And your insurance company has no business raising your premium simply because you use the benefit. If it does, shop around and get another insurance comany. Easy to do.

So don’t be so protective of your insurance company. Believe me, it does not share the same loyalty to you. Your agent might be a nice person but his/her boss, the actual insurance company, does not care. You are an ally only as long as you are paying your bills and not trying to collect anything under the policy. At that point, it heads for the hills. You are history.

MY dearly beloved insurance company will turn on you at the drop of a hat.

Use your Med Pay. Ask your agent about it. Get a free consultation from an experienced personal injury attorney at your earliest opportunity.

And, keep your chin up; keep your strength.

I don’t care what your politics are, or if you are mired in apathy– couldn’t care less.
I understand political apathy.
With few exceptions we have been lied to by both political parties.
So we say ” why bother?”

Well, we need to care, even a little bit.
Recently our government passed the NDAA, national defense authorization act.
Under the guise– smoke and mirrors– of protecting the country against terrorism, our leaders imposed martial law on we the people.

Google NDAA
Only Senator and future president, Rand Paul ( son of Dr Ron Paul), and a few others fought the effort— to no avail.

Every good citizen understands the importance of defending the country.
But the power just given to the president and the military to arrest and detain US citizens based upon suspicion totally undermines, if not voids, the Bill of Rights.
That is a big deal.

The indefinite detention of American citizens, without the right to a lawyer and legal defense, let alone the right to a speedy trial, is something that should concern all of us.

And this law was actually signed by the president who supposedly cares about civil liberties.
The law is so incredible the president appended a letter to the law saying he wouldn’t follow it.
Why did he not reject it?

We need to demand more of our leaders– no matter what their political affiliation.
We need more political parties to broaden the debate.

As an injury lawyer and one who has seen the law and legal system at work for many decades, I am saddened by the erosion of our civil liberties.
We have leaders who want to impose our values of freedom and liberty on others across the globe– even if they don’t want them– while at the same time diminish and restrict the same on we the people.

Take a few seconds to Google the NDAA.

We need not as a country follow the example of the former Soviet Union.

In many areas of our lives we are all to willing to give our public servants ( leaders) the power to regulate us out of our liberty.

Thanks for reading!
Keep your strength.

Today I met with a number of injury victims.
The first couple I met with was real nice. The wife got in a car crash a year ago and came to see me after getting an offer to settle from the insurance company.
They decided not to get a lawyer right away.
The insurance adjuster seemed nice and they figured why not see how it goes.
Well, it dd not go very well.
The offer was pathetic.
Fortunately they did not do or say anything to hurt her case, as sometimes happens.
They are lucky.
The trouble is that it would have cost them nothing to get the case in the hands of a knowledgeable injury lawyer right away.
This would assure the case would stay on track and have some direction, as well as send a very strong message of seriousness to the insurance company.

Later in the day I met with a fellow who was offered $700 by the insurance company.
The offer was made 1 week after the crash.
Thankfully he said no.

Imagine the nerve of any insurance adjuster to try to settle so quickly.
This is not being kind, prompt or thoughtful.
Just the opposite.
This was a blatant and obnoxious and insulting effort to get hs signature on a release so they could pay him a few bucks and prevent him from ever getting another dime.

When he didn’t bite they sent him a letter asking him to sign a document which would allow the insurance company to get his medical records, which were needed in order ” to properly evaluate” his claim.”

The obvious point is this:
If they needed these records ( which they did) in order to evaluate his claim, then why on earth did they expect him to settle for a small figure before anyone could properly evaluate his claim?

You know the answer.
There is nothing good to be said of the effort.

They might as well have offered a Big Mac, small fries and a Coke, in exchange for a release ending the case forever.

Be careful.
Don’t fall for this kind of tactic.
Talk with a personal injury attorney soon after the injury.

If you settle too soon, you will get little and you will give up everything!

When the insurance adjuster shows up at your front door, no good will come of talking with him or her.
Kindly tell them they will hear from your lawyer, and let me know ASAP.

Keep your strength.

One of my best radio commercials, I think, was done several years ago by our ” mail man.”
He had a raspy voice, sounding like an old timer.
His complaint was that he needed to hire personal injury lawyer Charlie Donahue for a back injury.
” Bags and bags and bags of settlement checks for injury victims to Donahue Law” finally did him in!

The mailman…. He was complaining because his new route covered Donahue Injury Law. Work used to be easy. He had a cozy route, but now had all kinds of activity. Bags after bag of settlement checks for clients.

These days I am happy to report our injury law practice has been settling lots of very good cases.
Don’t get me wrong.
I never wish any of this on any injury victim or their family.
I would gladly go into another line of work if it meant nobody would suffer personal injury.
What a great deal that would be!!
But it is not life, is it?

Life being what it is.
Insurance companies preying upon and taking advantage of injury victims…
It is imperative that someone with experience and know-how stand up for the little guy.

After all, the big and powerful insurance companies have experienced professionals in their corner, it is crucial to level the playing field.

Getting back to the poor ” mailman” complaining about a sore back for carrying ” bag after bag after bag of settlement checks for injury victims to Donahue Law”, all I can say is we’d be happy to help.

I would be honored as well to help you and your family get the money you need and deserve.

Charlie Donahue