Insurance Nightmare

By 4:00PM on the day of the accident, on my way north on SR 97, I had to stop and sleep. It was one of the worst days of my life; I wanted it to be over. I called my insurance company, Progressive Insurance, using the phone number on the insurance ID card, to report the accident and file a claim. I knew I was injured and it seemed pretty clear who was at fault for the accident, so I thought it would be pretty straightforward with Progressive. I was mainly concerned with medical coverage because I was going to need it. I called Progressive, told them I'd been in an accident and needed to file a claim. I was told that I would not be allowed to file a claim for damages because I had liability insurance only. I had just paid the Progressive insurance policy premium a few days before I left on my trip. I knew I had uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage as well as Personal Injury Protection (strongly mandated by Washington, you must opt out), although I did not recall the exact coverage amounts. I asked the Progressive agent to please double check my policy, she refused. I don't recall everything that was said, but I distinctly remember asking her if she was absolutely sure I had no medical coverage, her response was "You are on your own". They shuffled me back and forth between several insurance agents, all with different explanations as to why I did not have coverage for the accident.

I could not believe what I was hearing. I was a ten year Progressive customer who never filed a claim with a policy I had just paid for a couple weeks earlier. Since Progressive told me I had no coverage and my truck was totaled and would never see the road again, I asked to cancel my insurance policy, which they did.

I drove back to White Salmon and painfully unloaded my things from the rental truck. I live in a mountainous, rural area and I could barely walk so I had to rent a car. Since Progressive had refused to honor my insurance policy, I had to handle all the details of the accident myself. I discovered the truck that hit me listed "Hub International Transport" as the insurance carrier. Hub International Transport is not an insurance company; it is some kind of clearing house for insurance brokers. I had no idea who the insurance company for the driver that hit me was, if he had insurance at all. It was starting to look like I was going to have to pay for all the expenses due to the accident and buy another vehicle as soon as possible; I did not have the money to do that. It was a very difficult time for me, but only the beginning.

Six days after my request to file a claim with Progressive, I called their claims department directly and asked to file an accident claim. This request was denied. An attempt to file a claim online through Progressive's "super easy" claim service was unsuccessful, told to call Claims by telephone.

After nearly a month of suffering, sleepless nights and watching nearly all my money disappear and possessions sold to pay for accident expenses, I received a call from Progressive Insurance on 11-5-18. A claims agent told me they had opened a claim on my policy to "recoup expenses in a settlement". I asked how Progressive could open a claim on a policy I was told did not have the proper coverage and why they were allowed to use my policy to "recoup expenses" but I was not. The Progressive claims agent refused to answer. The following day, I was called again by Progressive agent. This agent told me that they did not open a claim to "recoup expenses", but they had received an ER bill and they were concerned about my health. I asked if they were so concerned about my health, why did Progressive deny a valid request to open a claim the day of the accident?

Progressive told me I had no medical coverage, even though I had more than enough "no fault" coverage, to discourage me from seeking medical care following the accident, in which they succeeded. When the hospital sent them a bill, then I had coverage. On 11-9-18, I received an email from Progressive requesting accident information so they could process PIP coverage for my ER visit to an unnamed hospital in Hood River, OR on 10-11-18. On 10-11-18, I was hundreds of miles away in Klamath Falls, OR and I had already received a PIP denial from Progressive. This "Hood River ER visit" was a complete fabrication, perhaps stacking up manufactured claims for yet more profits in case of a settlement. When, in a discussion with a Progressive employee, according to their records, I had sustained "no significant injuries(in the accident), no broken bones, no head injuries". Since I had clearly suffered a concussion after being knocked unconscious by the 40 ton semi truck, it was more confirmation of an ongoing insurance scam.

About this time, I began to receive phone calls from insurance brokers/agents claiming to be the insurance company for the driver who hit me. I had never heard of any of them and none of them were the insurance company on the accident report. They all wanted information which I was reluctant to give. If they represented the driver who hit me, why didn't they get the accident report from him? Almost a month since the accident, I still did not know who the insurance company of the truck driver who hit me. With my insurance company out of the picture and no financial stake in the matter, there was no reason for the insurance company of the truck driver to come forward or to pay for any expenses caused by their client. One of the insurance brokers/agents claiming to represent Russell Wright III, the truck driver who hit me, was Shelby Buyi or Shelby Bright of Gallagher Bassett. She calls very early in the morning. Because I do not sleep with my hearing aids (which I didn't have anyway) I can't hear the phone ring. I called back only to get her voicemail. She called back and left a claim number on my voicemail. I called back to find the claim number was incorrect so I was not able to get any information on who Gallagher Bassett was or what they were doing. Once again, because of my hearing problems, I asked for email correspondence.

On 11-8-18, I filed a complaint with the Washington Insurance Commissioner. Despite two denial letters from Progressive and PIP invoices from Progressive denying payment of the Klamath Falls ER following the accident, the Insurance Commissioner determined that Progressive had not denied my claim or PIP coverage based on recorded phone calls. I requested the recording to have it analyzed by professional audio technicians. Instead, I received a heavily edited transcript. All my requests to file a claim please check my coverage and are you sure I have no coverage have been removed. Part of the transcript is with a person who is not me. It appears the conversations are not in chronological order. The Insurance Commissioner's office suggested I retain an attorney. I asked why I was required to carry insurance if I needed to hire an attorney following any accident. The Insurance Commissioner refused to answer. I asked since every driver is required to carry insurance, are there any laws that require insurance companies to pay legitimate expenses resulting from an accident? The Insurance Commissioner stated there were no laws requiring insurance companies to compensate accident victims. Payments from insurance companies and the amounts they pay are optional, determined by the insurance company. I was told again to hire an attorney. I was shocked to hear this because it meant I was not going to get a penny from the insurance companies as a result of the accident.

On 11-16-18, I received an email from Shelby Buyi/Gallagher Bassett demanding the title of my wrecked vehicle. Unsure of whom she even was, never being able to speak with anyone from Gallagher Bassett and already ripped off by my own insurance company, I was reluctant to do that. A short time later, I received another email from Gallagher Bassett; Latonya Joplin told me that if I did not send them the title of my truck, they would start charging me storage fees. On top of everything else, now I have to pay the driver who hit me and caused all the damages and injury. Keep in mind this is my first conversation with Gallagher Bassett; no mention of compensation for damages or medical bills, just threats and intimidation. Gallagher Bassett was only interested in saving money for the company. Once they had my truck, several people who had been in accidents confirmed this; it was unlikely I would ever hear from them again.

Around the middle of November, I was notified by Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls that someone had tried to access my patient records. They declined the request because my name was not on the request. Gallagher Bassett had used a fake name to try and access my patient records of the accident using a fake name. Gallagher Bassett used the same fake name to falsify ownership of my truck and steal it from the Chiloquin tow lot without my knowledge or consent. I filed a stolen vehicle report with the Klamath County Sheriff who refused to act.

The photo above shows an email from Innovative Claims informing me they have taken my truck and will be charging me storage fees. Important that you notice this email addresses me as "Joseph". That is not my name. My name is RON, this is RONbosroad.com. I have never used the name or been known as "Joseph" or any of it's derivatives. It is the fake name used by Innovative Claims to steal my truck and the same fake name used by Gallagher Bassett to try and access my patient records. When I tried to contact Ashland towing about my truck, because my name is not on the fake documents, they would not speak to me. My truck had been stolen and the registered owner changed without a trip to the DMV.

In a copy of a letter to the Washington Insurance Commissioner, Progressive Insurance stated they have been in contact with Gallagher Bassett regarding the accident, but not on my behalf. The insurance company of the truck driver, Starr Insurance, and my insurance, Progressive, had got together to try and figure out a way to evade all responsibility for the accident, which they did. The result was an innocent victim's life is ruined to save insurance company profits. A regular story in America, but as it turns out, once again, the American Nightmare continues. Neither Progressive, my insurance company, or Starr Insurance, the insurance of the truck driver who hit me, paid me a dime for damages from the accident and stole my truck to boot.

The result was an innocent victim's life is ruined to save insurance company profits. A regular story in America, but as it turns out, once again, the American Nightmare continues.