Accidents and injuries are traumatic events in a person’s life. It can cause a loss of emotional, physical and financial well-being. In the event of a personal injury, you might not be able to focus clearly on understanding what to do next. However, you might decide to pursue your case and file a claim on your own. If you have spoken to your insurance party or the liable party, you might have understood that it’s not easy. Insurance parties are very well aware of the techniques they can use on their clients to offer a lowball settlement.
According to Jacoby and Meyers at JMLawyer.com, the renowned law firm in New York city, one big mistake that most clients make before coming to them is trying to contact their insurance parties on their own.
Your insurance company will ask you a variety of questions and will record your every answer. Insurance professionals are experts in taking out statements from you that they might later use against your case, which can compromise your claim.
There are many challenges faced by clients who tried to contact their insurance companies or the liable party without the help of a personal injury lawyer.
1. There has been no response from the insurance company.
So you tried to contact the liable party or their insurance provider but got no response from them. This is an annoying situation where you might wait for days or even months without any call or email from the insurer.
In the other scenario, the insurance company might respond to you quickly, but the communication goes off somewhere in between. In this case, you don’t know what went wrong and how long you should wait for the settlement amount to arrive.
The insurance firms often fail to reimburse the compensation amount by the deadline. Without a personal injury lawyer to assist your case, you will fail to take the right steps in all of these cases. If you go to a lawyer at this point, they might not be able to help you properly.
2. The insurer might outright reject your claim.
Personal injuries are a costly affair. They can cause a huge dent in the pocket with short or long-term medical bills. An injured person might feel shocked if their insurer completely denies paying any amount. There are several tactics that insurance firms use to deny claims. Insurers might try to prove that the accident was your fault and that the party they cover is innocent of the charges.
A personal injury lawyer is important in such cases. They have access to information that you might not have. For example, they can access a hospital’s medical records, highlighting any of the hospital’s past medical malpractices.
Not only that, but an attorney also investigates the case and determines the liable party. They gather evidence, fetch personal and public records, collect information, access police reports, medical bills and everything that can support your case. More importantly, if the insurance company still stands rigid and denies your claim, personal injury lawyers can appeal the denial and file a lawsuit against them.
3. The insurance companies argue that your settlement is unfair and offer you a lowball settlement instead.
Insurance companies are in the money-minting business. A few days after the accident, they might try to contact you and offer a low settlement offer. Since the initial days after an injury or damage involves a lot of expenditure, many people agree to take the first settlement offer only to realize later that it wasn’t worth it.
Some insurance companies do not negotiate even after many rounds and don’t offer compensation that truly reflects your injuries. A personal injury lawyer can make a strong case stating why their settlement offer is not worthy.
We suggest contacting a personal injury attorney right after you face an accident. Most people do not know enough about the statute of limitations, legal requirements and the right steps to take after the accident. A reliable personal Injury Attorney will help you get the compensation you deserve.
Clinton Mora is a reporter for Trending Insurance News. He has previously worked for the Forbes. As a contributor to Trending Insurance News, Clinton covers emerging a wide range of property and casualty insurance related stories.