It is wise for those injured in car accidents to call personal injury lawyers to handle their insurance claims. Personal injury lawyer vs insurance company battles can be the most important factor in determining the size of payout you receive when you file an insurance claim.
If you’ve been injured in an auto accident, it’s smart to call a lawyer with experience in personal injury law because they can increase the size of your settlement, give you legal guidance, help you avoid common pitfalls, document evidence for you and give you peace of mind.
Why Should I Have a Lawyer Talk to My Insurance Company?
If you got hurt in an accident, it’s best for you have a car accident attorney talk to the insurance company for you rather than for you to handle your claim yourself. You will probably end up recovering more money if you obtain legal representation than if you do not.
Reasons to hire a law firm to handle your auto insurance claim include:
Increase Your Settlement
Just because insurance coverage is available for your accident doesn’t mean the car insurance company is necessarily going to be willing to pay you what you’re actually entitled to after your accident. The insurance company needs to first respect you before they’ll be willing to pay you what you’re entitled to under California law.
California law holds negligent drivers (and, practically speaking in most cases, their insurance companies) financially liable for injuries sustained in the accidents they cause. However, insurance companies know they don’t actually need to live up to this legal obligation unless an injury victim can sue them and win over an unfair car accident settlement offer. This is because civil lawsuits are the only way to enforce this legal obligation.
This is why it’s crucial to have an attorney on your side from the start. A Norfolk personal injury lawyer can help you navigate the complexities of dealing with insurance companies, ensuring that you’re not taken advantage of. By having legal representation, you can significantly increase your chances of securing the full compensation you deserve, as insurance companies will be far less likely to offer unfair settlements when they know you’re backed by a skilled attorney.
Insurance companies are a lot more willing to offer fair settlements once lawyers get involved, especially lawyers with a reputation for success in court like our attorneys. Almost all of our cases settle out of court because insurance companies don’t want to spend legal fees on court battles they know they’ll lose against us.
Studies show that those injured in accidents recover far more for their injuries when they hire a lawyer than when they don’t, even after attorney fees are considered:
- A study done in 2019 discovered that those hurt in accidents who hire attorneys receive 31 percent more compensation than those who fail to hire lawyers.
- According to the National Center for State Courts, when injury victims hire lawyers, they recover compensation 84 percent of the time, but when they don’t hire lawyers they only recover compensation 56 percent of the time.
- An Insurance Research Council survey found that it takes 10 months on average for injury victims to recover compensation when they hire lawyers, and 18 months on average when they don’t.
- A survey done by Martindale-Nolo discovered that injury victims who hire lawyers recover an average of $77,600 while those who don’t hire lawyers recover an average of $17,600. The survey discovered that injury victims who hire attorneys recover almost three times the amount of compensation as those who don’t even after considering attorney fees. The survey also discovered that while injury victims who hire lawyers recover compensation 91 percent of the time, those who don’t only recover compensation 51 percent of the time.
Receive Legal Guidance
The legal process can be very confusing and lawyers can help you navigate that territory.
For example, you may not know how much your case be worth. Lawyers can advise you of the true value of your claim.
You might also not know what a fair settlement offer from the insurance company is considering your circumstances and the insurance policy involved. Lawyers can advise you of when insurance companies are low balling you and when they’re offering you a fair settlement.
If you hire a lawyer and, at any point during the legal process, have any questions, your lawyer will be just a phone call away and can answer any questions you have, helping to make the legal process much less stresful.
Avoid Common Pitfalls
One of the most common pitfalls injury victims face when they file insurance claims is when talking with insurance companies. It’s best to hire a lawyer to talk to the insurance company for you because it’s dangerous for you to do it yourself.
Insurance companies will record any conversations you have with them. While they do this, they’ll try to trick you into saying the wrong things, like admitting fault for your accident or admitting that your injuries aren’t as bad as you’re claiming. If you say the wrong thing to an insurance company it can instantly cause your claim’s value to drastically plummet. Worse yet, insurance adjusters are very good at tricking you into saying the wrong things because they are trained to do this by their employers. They’ll pretend like they care when they talk to you on the phone, express their concern, ask how you’re doing, etc. This kindness is an act. They’re trying to take advantage of your vulnerabilities during a difficult moment. By being understanding and sympathetic, they’re trying to gain information they can use against you.
It’s best to hire lawyers to talk with insurance companies for you so you don’t have to worry about incriminating yourself.
Insurance companies will play other tricks on you as well. They’ll try to convince you it’s a bad idea to hire a lawyer since you’ll need to share any settlement with your lawyer. Of course, they don’t tell you that your settlement will be so much larger if you hire a lawyer that you’ll still end up with more money even after paying your lawyer. Having a lawyer by your side means insurers can’t make a fool out of you. Your lawyer will know the company’s tricks and fight for you to recover the most money possible.
They’ll also try to trick you into sharing medical records with them that you don’t necessarily need to, falsely claiming they can’t offer you a settlement unless you share them. In reality, they’re going to be looking for pre-existing conditions they can use to justify paying them less money. Don’t fall for this trick – instead, tell them to talk to your lawyer.
Insurance companies will also try to prey on your vulnerability and desperation for quick cash after an accident. You might be out of work and facing medical bills after an accident, meaning you’re desperate for cash. The insurance company will try their hardest to tempt you into accepting a quick settlement which represents only a fraction of what you’re entitled to. It’s best to let lawyers talk to insurance companies for you so you don’t have to deal with the insurance company’s pressure tactics.
Finally, insurance companies will often put you off or even completely ignore you as a delay tactic. They do this hoping you just give up on your injury claim. Having a lawyer by your side can make sure that you get fairly treated and don’t get ignored.
Documenting Evidence
Your lawyers can gather valuable evidence to support your case, prove liability and prove your injuries’ severity. When investigations are done by insurance companies, they may not provide you with their evidence.
This may include accident scene photos, property damage photos, forensic evidence reviews, etc. However, by working with a lawyer, you’re given the right to review any evidence which is uncovered during an investigation. This evidence may include:
- Accident surveillance footage
- Video of your collision
- Blood alcohol test results of the defendant
- Analysis from black boxes or electronic data recorders
- Defendant cell phone records
- Accident scene photos and injury photos
- Police and accident reconstructionist reports
- Bystander and witness statements
- Testimony from family, friends and expert witnesses
- Journal entries which attest to your injuries’ severity
Gain Peace of Mind
It can be very stressful to negotiate a payout with an insurance company after an injury. The last thing you need while you’re recovering from your injuries is to have to worry about this as well as the significant amount of paperwork involved in filing a claim.
Lawyers can handle every aspect of the claims process for you so all you have to do is focus on what’s important: recovery and family. If you hire experienced lawyers with a reputation for success like Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers, you can focus on your recovery while having the peace of mind that your case is in good hands.
Other Ways To Maximize Your Personal Injury Claim
Other ways you can maximize your personal injury claim include:
Preserving Evidence
Write down an account of your accident as soon as possible after your accident. It’s important to do this because memories fade quickly.
If you have to spend any money at all due to your injuries, keep receipts, including receipts for things like medical appointments, medications, etc.
Take lots of photos at the scene of the accident, including photos of property damage, injuries, roadway conditions, relevant signs and signals, etc.
Exercise Patience
The insurance company is going to try to pressure you to accept an offer quickly. Be patient. Your lawyer will let you know when they’re offering you a fair settlement and when they’re just trying to rip you off.
Don’t Be Afraid to Negotiate
Negotiations are critical to maximizing an insurance recovery. Luckily, if you hire a lawyer, you won’t have to negotiate yourself. Your lawyer can handle all negotiations for you and advocate for your well-being so you recover the most money possible for your injuries.
A lawyer can help walk you through maximizing your case and get you the most money back after an accident.
Call a Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact us today for a free consultation. We can help you recover financial compensation for medical bills, loss of earning capacity, loss of wages, pain, suffering, wrongful death and more.
We don’t charge a fee until and unless we obtain a recovery for you after your accident. Our only fee when we handle accident cases is a percentage of any recovery obtained. We don’t charge any upfront fees or out-of-pocket fees to handle accident cases.
When our clients can’t afford treatment for their injuries, we get them to the best doctors in California, and we make sure they don’t get charged for treatment until their case is over. We can convince doctors to do this for our clients based on our reputation for success.
We have been helping those injured in accidents since 1990 and have recovered over $750,000,000 for injury victims. We have the experience and resources to recover the most money possible for you after your accident.
Call us today for a free consultation.
Jeffrey Nadrich
Jeffrey Nadrich is a nationally-recognized California plaintiff’s personal injury attorney. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Hastings College of the Law. He has successfully represented thousands of injury clients over the last 40 years.
