John-Russell Bart Pate

I was hurt in a car accident. Attorney Pate explained to me the problems with car accidents in the VI... that insurance policy coverage is lower than any of the States... usually $10,000 for everything; my medical bills, my missed work time, my continuing therapy. Even for my car, the insurance com...pany only pays "BlueBook" value. Now think about that... cars have to be shipped to the VI, then there's customs and road taxes. That's thousands of extra dollars in cost for a car! BlueBook might work for getting a car as it rolls out of the factory in Detroit, but there's no way on St. Thomas you can get a decent replacement car for BlueBook value. It's a slap in the face for people in the VI. It should be Bluebook plus at least 25%! The last car accident 10 years ago in Florida, I got like $5,000 right away as no-fault coverage for my medical bills and then there was under-insurance coverage. I also got a rental while my car was being fixed. All in all, getting hurt in a car accident is never a good experience, but in the VI there really is no safety net for people. The insurance requirements are way lower than any State -- and with it being legal to have a alcohol drink while you drive on the left -- there are accidents were people get hurt and sometimes killed. The driver's car insurance did not cover all my medical bills, so I ended up having to set up a payment plan for the bills even though the accident was not my fault. The only silver lining was Attorney Pate and his office took to the time to help me, explained to me the issues, and let me know it was not just me getting screwed, but really everyone who gets hurt in a car accident in the VI. It's a small place in the VI so please excuse me for not posting my initials.