After a car accident, handling the insurance companies can be a complicated and confusing process. This is where an experienced attorney can play an important role in protecting your rights and helping you pursue a just compensation.
Insurance companies are businesses, and their goal is to minimize payouts to maximize profits, even if it means undervaluing or denying legitimate claims. An experienced car injury attorney understands the tactics used by the insurance companies and can effectively navigate the complex web of regulations and policies. They can help gather and analyze evidence, handle all communication with the insurance company, and negotiate on your behalf to pursue a fair settlement that covers your medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and other losses. Hiring an attorney can level the playing field and increase the chances of receiving the maximum compensation you deserve.
What Role Does an Attorney Play in Negotiating With Insurance Companies After a Car Accident?
After a car crash, the with insurance companies can be somewhat unhelpful, especially if you don’t know the laws and rules. This is where a lawyer can help you and make sure you get fair payment. Here are the main ways a lawyer can assist:
Providing Legal Knowledge
Attorneys have in-depth understanding of all laws related to car accidents and personal injury cases. They know the specific rules, requirements, and timelines that must be followed. With their expertise, attorneys can properly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your claim against the insurance company. They take their legal knowledge and explain your rights and options to you in simple, easy-to-understand terms.
Investigating the Accident
Before negotiations begin, your attorney should conduct a thorough investigation into exactly what happened in the accident. They gather key evidence like police reports, witness accounts, photos/videos of the scene, and your medical records documenting injuries. If needed, they may hire accident reconstruction experts or get professional opinions from medical providers to make your case stronger in the event it might go to trial.
Communicating with the Insurance Company
Once an attorney is hired, they become the main point of contact with the insurance company, not you. The attorney handles all phone calls, emails, letters and face-to-face meetings/negotiations with the insurance adjuster. This prevents the insurance company from being able to use tactics to trick or pressure you into accepting an unfair settlement amount. The attorney forcefully advocates for your rights.
Evaluating Damages and Losses
Attorneys understand how to properly evaluate and calculate all the damages and losses you may have suffered from the accident. This includes current and future medical costs, lost income from missed work, vehicle repair costs, and compensation for pain and suffering. Many of these aspects are foreign concepts to regular people, and it’s common for people to undervalue several of these categories on their own. With the legal expertise from an attorney, they can help maximize the full compensation amount you truly deserve.
Skilled Negotiation
Negotiating a fair settlement agreement with an insurance company requires very specialized skills that attorneys have. They know effective strategies to negotiate and persuade the insurance company to accept liability and pay an appropriate compensation amount. Attorneys are experienced in pushing back against the tactics insurance companies use to minimize or deny claims. If the insurance company is unreasonable, attorneys are prepared to escalate the process into a lawsuit.
Protecting Your Rights
Most importantly, an attorney’s job is to be a loyal advocate who protects your rights in every way possible. They prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you or violating proper procedures. Attorneys ensure you meet all requirements and deadlines to properly file a claim and potential lawsuit if needed. Their top priority is fighting to get you the maximum compensation available under the law.
Conclusion
Having an experienced attorney on your side provides tremendous value when negotiating with insurance companies after an accident. Their legal expertise, investigation capabilities, communication skills, understanding of damages valuations, negotiation tactics, and commitment to protecting your rights gives you a much higher chance of receiving a fair and appropriate settlement.
