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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Options following an automobile accident
Dear Mr. Rockefeller,
My car was totaled in a
rear-end
colli
sion. The
other
driver
did not
own
the car
and the
owner’s
insur
ance is
Jr 9* ** W
!®
Jim Rockefeller
The “Law" man
refusing to pay to my
medical bills. What can I
do about this?
Dear Reader, Your ques
tion raises some common
concerns we have all prob
ably had to face at one time
or another. When there is a
car wreck, keep in mind a
few basic concepts.
First, the FACT of a car
Your beliefs, your expectations - Part 3
You may be won
dering, “What did
I miss in parts 1
and 2?” If you’d like a copy
of those
articles
contact
me.
Here’s
a brief
review.
Part 1
described
the ori
gins of
your
beliefs
Dennis Hooper
Leaders Building
Leaders
and expectations. Your per
ceptions of yourself come
from your parents (when
you were young), important
others in your life (friends,
bosses, family members, the
media), and adjustments
you’ve made in your adult
life.
Part 2 addressed how
leaders are likely deceived
by their beliefs and expecta
tions.
This week, we address
how leaders can improve the
limiting beliefs and expecta
tions of the contributors in
their organizations.
Obviously, the hiring pro
cess should be designed to
reject individuals whose
expectations and beliefs
don’t align with the val-
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— 1...
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wreck, even if you think the
other driver was clearly at
fault, does not “automati
cally” entitle you to any com
pensation; you have to sue
the other driver to assign
responsibility, although you
can negotiate a settlement
without suing.
Second, except in limited
circumstances, if there is
insurance, you do not sue
the insurance company - you
sue the negligent driver. An
insurance company is the
negligent driver’s protector,
providing a “free” attorney
and financial protection up
to the applicable policy lim
its.
For your purposes, insur
ance is a source of money to
pay for your losses, without
which you might never be
compensated.
ues of the organization.
Sometimes, however, you
inherit responsibility for
an individual who somehow
managed to slip through
those filters.
First, you have to realize
that only the individual can
change his or her beliefs
and expectations. The con
cepts the parents instilled
will be there for life - unless
the individual can recognize
the impact and chooses to
change it.
Further, you can’t control
a person’s self-expectations,
though you may be able to
influence them. You can
certainly influence the envi
ronment in which a person
works. And you can observe
the influence of others, such
as a person’s co-workers.
You can also control the
clarity and quality of expec
tations you have of the indi
vidual. Early in the rela
tionship, establish expecta
tions clearly and provide
feedback frequently.
The expectations you gen
erate and your enforcement
of those criteria provide
the entry point for address
ing an individual’s limiting
beliefs.
It is very appropriate to
point out the difference
between what was expect
ed assault was for point
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Injured or Disabled?
Third, you are general
ly not suing the owner of
the car - the owner does
not have to anticipate the
driver’s negligence. Classic
exceptions are where an
owner gives the car keys to
a drunk driver or, perhaps
allows an unlicensed, under
age, and untrained driver
use the car.
In fact, an owner might
also be specifically liable,
under a law called a “Dram
Shop,” for letting a drunk
driver operate a car (it usu
ally applies to a bar that
permitted a drunk driver to
drive away from the bar).
Fourth, insurance coverage
can still “attach” from either
the car and/or the driver.
What this means is that you
can seek compensation from
the car owner’s insurance
ed and what was actually
delivered - and why that
difference is unacceptable.
Over time, if expectations
are not met, it is your role
to investigate and deter
mine a reason. If you find
a simple cause and can cor
rect it, great.
Otherwise, the problem
may have its genesis in
some limiting belief that
may be hard to discover.
Most individuals are not
able to articulate their
beliefs and expectations.
If you ask them, they’ll
respond with what they
think you want to hear.
You’ll have to penetrate
beyond this superficial
description. And you’ll need
the cooperation of the indi
vidual to do that.
If the person insists on
maintaining an “I’m okay!”
perspective and is unwill
ing to work with you, then
continued employment
depends on meeting your
performance expectations.
If the person isr willing
to do some self-exploration,
however, I encourage lead
ers to work with the indi
vidual.
It may take several weeks
of introspection and reflec
tion before the individual
starts to understand what
Mehta, the clerk, and forcing
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policy, the driver’s policy, or
even a policy owned by some
one in the driver’s (or even
your own) household.
Fifth, there may be a spe
cial policy coverage to pay
your medical bills called
“Med-Pay.” This is no-fault
coverage, usually from
SI,OOO to SIO,OOO, to cover
ANYONE’S bills involved in
a wreck (even the negligent
driver’s). It can come from
any of these sources of insur
ance and can be “stacked.”
This means that, if there
were three policies involved,
each with SIO,OOO Med-Pay
coverage, there would be
a total of $30,000 in medi
cal bills that could be paid,
which you could use, even
before you asked any health
insurance you might have
to pay your bills. You do not
is causing the low confi
dence or inadequate perfor
mance.
As the person is able to
zero in on the limiting belief,
together you can explore:
■ How does the person
currently benefit from hold
ing this belief?
■ What would the per
son lose in giving up this
belief?
■ What would the person
gain by adopting a different
belief?
These questions are not
easy to answer, of course.
Yet the clarity will come if
you will ask supplemental
thought-provoking, open
ended questions and the
individual sincerely seeks
understanding. By working
together, the probability is
high that performance will
improve.
Further, you will both
know that you’ve contrib
uted to a more satisfying
career and life Tor the indi
vidual.
Dennis Hooper is a certi
fied leadership development
coach, helping leaders build
organizations of excellence
and future leaders. Contact
Dennis at dhooper2@juno.
com or at 478-988-0237.
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need to file a lawsuit to use
Med-Pay benefits.
Finally, there are circum
stances where there is NO
insurance coverage available
(which is why we should ALL
have maximum Uninsured
Motorist’s Coverage!).
An insurance policy is a
contract. For a host a rea
sons, the contract could be
violated (non-payment, per
mitting an “excluded” driver
to drive the car, etc.) and the
insurance company will deny
coverage. In these cases, you
will almost certainly have to
sue the driver.
Let’s put this all together
in your case (I am assuming
you have no health insur
ance).
For medical bills, look first
for Med-Pay coverage from
all sources. These are paid
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when the bills are submitted
(just like health insurance).
If that fails, try to find a
free clinic. Either way, seek
appropriate medical treat
ment, as even small wrecks
can cause life-changing inju
ries. Sue only as a last resort.
Should you have any fur
ther questions, send me an
e-mail. Good luck!
Local attorney Jim
Rockefeller owns the
Rockefeller Law Center and
is a former Houston County
Chief Assistant District
Attorney, and a former
Miami Prosecutor. E-mail
confidential legal questions
to ajr@rockefellerlawc.enter.
com. Visit www.rockefeller
lawcenter.com for Frequently
Asked Questions and
Jim’s blog, The Rockefeller
Report.
F. Dennis Hooper
Certified
Leadership Development Coach
Building leaders and
organizations of excellence
(478) 988-0237
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