One of the reasons we encourage accident victims to talk to our Georgia accident attorneys is because they have a lot of experience dealing with the insurance companies in a car accident case. The insurance adjusters will do almost anything to get you to settle for less than you deserve. Others use trickery to get you to say something that justifies their denying your claim. The problem is that they are so skilled at what they do, the average person doesn’t realize what has happened until they walk away empty handed. Our Riverdale car accident lawyers are not intimidated by the big insurance companies. We are very familiar with their tactics and know how to guard against them. We also know how to prove how valuable your case is. If the insurance company offers you substantially less than you deserve, we will step in and help. Our Georgia accident attorneys will stand up to the insurance adjusters and fight to get you the money you deserve.
The Insurance Adjuster Asks You for Unnecessary Documentation
One trick a lot of insurance adjusters use is they ask people for more information than they could possibly need. Sometimes this information has nothing to do with your claim. For example, the insurance adjuster may ask you to provide them with medical records going back ten years. This makes no sense. The only medical records they should need are those related to your car accident. Make sure you let your Riverdale car accident lawyer know that they’ve asked for this information. If they manage to get their hands on ten years of your medical records, it’s only because they want to argue that you had a pre-existing medical condition. If they are successful in proving this, it means you may walk away with nothing.
The Insurance Carrier Offers You a Low Settlement
If your insurance claim is not denied outright, there is a good chance the insurance company will offer you a settlement. Typically, the settlement is for much less than the total value of your claim. For example, you may have filed a claim for $150,000. If the insurance company offers you $50,000 to walk away, there may be a part of you tempted to take it. You have medical bills piling up and you have missed a lot of work because of your accident. It’s important that you reject any settlement before your Riverdale car accident lawyer has a chance to review it. If the insurance adjuster asks you to sign something called a settlement release, make sure you tell them no. Your Georgia accident attorney should review any paperwork that comes from the insurance company. In fact, if the insurance adjuster contacts you after you’ve retained a Riverdale car accident lawyer, they can be in a lot of trouble. Once you notify the insurance carrier that you have retained an attorney, all correspondence must go through your attorney. They are no longer allowed to contact you personally.
You’re Offered a Settlement with an Immediate Deadline
If the insurance adjuster does offer you a settlement, they may tell you that you only have 24 hours to accept it. They know that when people are put under this kind of pressure, they will not have a lot of time to talk to other people about the offer. For example, if the insurance company offers you a settlement, you may want to meet with a Georgia accident attorney before you accept it. They know this and they want to make sure you don’t have an opportunity to do this. Their hope is that you will be so desperate for the money that you sign the settlement agreement right away knowing that you probably could have gotten more. Technically, there is nothing illegal about this because the insurance company can impose any deadline they want. However, it is not good business practice to do this, and your Georgia accident attorney will make sure they know this.
The Insurance Adjuster May Tell You Not to Hire a Riverdale Car Accident Lawyer
One of the sneakiest things the insurance company may do is advise you to not hire a Riverdale car accident lawyer. They may tell you that they believe your story and that they’re going to pay your claim, they just need to do some paperwork first. The next thing you know, your claim has been denied. Or they tell you that you don’t need to submit any further information. You take them at their word and do not speak with a Georgia accident attorney. You find out later that your claim was denied because of improper or untimely filing. These are just some of the tricks that the insurance adjusters use to get out of paying your claim. They would much rather pay you a third or half of what you’re entitled to than pay the whole thing.
They May Request a Recorded Statement Immediately After the Crash
After any car accident, you need to call the police. They will come out to the accident scene and do a thorough investigation. Typically, once they notify the insurance carrier that an accident has taken place, an insurance adjuster will contact you. They will tell you that they need to get a recorded statement from you right away in order to process your claim. What they’re really trying to do is get you to say something that makes it look like you were at fault. You may still be in shock from the accident and not understand the questions they’re asking you. We always tell our clients not to make any recorded statements with the insurance company and refer them to speak to their Riverdale car accident lawyer instead.
Your Georgia Accident Attorney Are Not Intimidated by the Insurance Company
We offer all new clients a free, initial consultation. This affords you the chance to sit down with an experienced Riverdale car accident lawyer. This is someone who has handled dozens, if not hundreds of car accident cases in the past. Not only can they answer any questions you may have, but they will also ask some questions of their own. They know what information they’re going to need to prove your case and they know how to get that information from you. We suggest you contact our office as soon as possible so you can schedule a date and time to come in for your free, initial consultation.
