If you have been injured or someone you love has been killed due to the negligence of another person or entity, the most important thing you can do is to contact a personal injury attorney. A personal injury attorney helps victims receive fair compensation for their injuries or wrongful death. Unfortunately, insurance adjustors use many unfair tactics to lower and delay your settlement.
If you have been in an accident you will be interviewed by both an adjustor from your own insurance company and by an adjustor from the other party’s insurance company. Both adjustors are trying to minimize the amount of money that their company will pay.
A personal injury attorney will have experience in dealing with insurance companies; therefore know when they are being unreasonable or asking irrelevant questions. Most insurance adjustors are highly trained adversaries, although most people would never think this. Most people understand that the insurance company’s job is to make money, and that one way it does this is by settling claims for less than the claim is worth. Yet, most people are unaware of how sophisticated, yet simple, the methods the carrier will utilize to help it accomplish this goal. Personal injury attorneys will take the responsibility from you and handle all communication from the insurance company in order to receive a favorable settlement.
Why Hire an Attorney?
There are many benefits to hiring an attorney. In 2004, the Insurance Research Council, a research organization created and funded by the insurance industry, did a comprehensive study comparing the value of settlements people received for the same injury when they were represented by an attorney versus when they did not have a lawyer. The Insurance Research Council determined that people who were represented by an attorney received almost three and one-half times more, even after the attorney’s fees were paid.
If you have not realized it yet, your insurance adjustor is not your friend. In fact, insurance companies make their money by settling cases for much less than they are worth. They do not want you to hire an attorney, so that they can persuade you into accepting a smaller amount.
However, not every injury claim requires the assistance of an attorney. If we believe that you can handle your claim on your own, we will let you know. We want injury victims to make the best financial decision, to ensure they personally receive the most money for their injuries. We encourage you to always contact an attorney first, because once you have closed a claim, there is no turning back (even if a month later you realize that you did not receive adequate compensation). Call an experienced personal injury attorney who can give you essential legal advice.