For many people, it is automatic to call their insurance company when they have a claim due to a personal injury event, such as a car accident or a slip and fall. This is a good choice in many situations, such as after your home has been damaged in a storm, but after you’ve been injured in a personal injury event, wait to call the insurance company. Instead, contact a lawyer with extensive experience in personal injury and automobile accident cases for three specific reasons:
1 – Your Lawyer Works for You
An insurance company puts their needs and profits before everything. While they may eventually agree to pay everything you deserve under a car insurance or healthcare policy, they may question your story or demand that you jump through unnecessary hoops with the goal of wearing you down so that you will accept a lower payment. This situation is exacerbated when both you and the other party have the same insurance company.
When working with a lawyer, you are their client and their only focus is on your best interests. He or she will work hard to assure that you receive everything that you are entitled to. Your lawyer will know if you are being scammed or if the police reports or if the witness statements are not accurate, and can take steps to remedy these situations. He or she will also know if your insurance company, or the other person’s company, is acting in bad faith, dragging out the process or intentionally offering an unacceptable settlement. In this situation, your lawyer will advocate on your behalf to address these problems.
2 – Your Lawyer Will Provide Important Legal Advice
After an accident or injury, it is easy to become overwhelmed with the actions you need to take and the decisions that must be made, especially if you’ve been seriously harmed. Some of these tasks are time-critical and any mistake can negatively impact the amount of the settlement you will receive later. When you have an attorney by your side, or at least on the phone, during this time, he or she can advise you:
- What to do and say at the scene of a personal injury event. This may include giving a statement to the police, taking pictures of the accident site with your phone, asking for contact information from witnesses, and more.
- What to do when your insurance company calls. You will learn what to say when giving your account of the incident and how to self-advocate for your rights.
- What to communicate with others. Your attorney will advise you about what to say to friends and family about the personal injury event so that your interests are always protected.
Most lawyers will negotiate with your insurance company and the one representing the other party so that you do not have to manage this process alone.
3 – Your Lawyer Can Speed Up the Process
You have bills to pay, injuries to heal and maybe even a loved one to mourn. You need this matter closed quickly and fairly so that you can receive the compensation you deserve and get on with your life. However, insurance companies have no incentive to close a matter quickly because then they have to write a check, often a large one if your case involves a serious injury or death. While they may be sympathetic to your situation, the insurance company will not speed up the process. Having an attorney at your side help this matter be settled more quickly because they have the experience to keep the process moving forward.
After a personal injury event, from a car accident to a slip and fall, protect yourself, your family and your finances by hiring a lawyer who will advocate for you from the time of the event through the settlement of the claim.
You have bills to pay, injuries to heal and maybe even a loved one to mourn. You need this matter closed quickly and fairly so that you can receive the compensation you deserve and get on with your life. However, insurance companies have no incentive to close a matter quickly because then they have to write a check, often a large one if your case involves a serious injury or death. While they may be sympathetic to your situation, the insurance company will not speed up the process. Having an attorney at your side could help quickly resolve the matter because the attorney has the experience to keep the process moving forward.
After a car accident or injury, protect yourself, your family and your finances by hiring a lawyer who will advocate for you from the time of the accident through the settlement of the claim.