At some point in almost all of our lives, we will be involved in an automobile accident. After an accident it is important to follow certain procedures in order to best protect your rights. Most people assume the insurance providers involved will do the right thing and provide compensation for vehicle repairs, medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering. Unfortunately, more often than not this is not the case. Most people make critical mistakes that can limit their recovery from insurance companies and at-fault parties. It is better to consult an attorney immediately after an accident to advise you of how to move forward. If you have tried to negotiate your own settlement and the insurance providers and/or the at-fault party are being unresponsive or submitting unreasonable settlement offers, it is time to consult an attorney. Our attorneys take most auto accident and personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means we will defend your rights with no upfront cost to you. An initial consultation with one of our attorneys does not cost anything and allows you to fully understand your rights and options before you proceed further.
Why Should I Consult An Attorney Immediately After An Accident?
After an accident insurance companies try to gather as much information from you in order to limit your settlement claim. By providing the insurance company with this information, you are giving them cause to lower their settlement offer. It is best not to deal directly with the insurance company yourself and allow an attorney to do it instead. An attorney can negotiate your settlement on your behalf. Insurance companies and individuals respond faster to an attorney because attorneys understand your rights, the law and have the ability to file suit. Additionally, insurance companies usually only offer enough to cover some of your bills and will not include any damages for pain and suffering, lost wages or future disability.
Do Not Sign Anything From The Insurance Companies
Insurance providers will send you a settlement offer and try to get you to waive your rights to file a future suit. It is in the insurance company’s best interest to get you to take a low settlement offer quickly before you have a chance to consult an attorney. By doing this, you may not have a claim for a future suit and may still be left with outstanding automobile repair and medical bills. The goal of insurance companies is to “buy” your lawsuit for as little money as possible. We try to ensure that if you “sell” your lawsuit you get properly compensated for it.
Do Not Give Unnecessary Information To The Insurance Company
The at fault party’s insurance company will want you to provide them with a lot of information following your accident. Much of the information they will want is warranted. However, they also want financial information to try to limit your claim for damages based on your income at the time of your accident. An attorney will deal directly with the insurance companies so that you do not have to. We ensure that unnecessary information is not passed to the insurance companies in order to get the maximum settlement on your behalf.
In all accident and/or personal injury cases it is important to speak with an attorney to fully understand your options before settling with an insurance company or an at-fault party.
This article is intended solely to be informative and should not be considered legal advice.
