If you would like to discuss your personal injury claim with an attorney, you can contact one of our Durham Personal Injury Attorneys or Greensboro Personal Injury Attorneys by filling out the Free Consultation form to the right, emailing us at info@kregerthacker.com or by calling us at (888) 820-5885. In the meantime, if you are looking for information to help you with your personal injury claim, then take a look through our blog posts; we are adding information several times a week.
A few tips to keep in mind if you have a personal injury claim and you are dealing with an insurance company:
- The insurance company and its adjusters are not looking out for you. They have two interests: (1) protecting the person who caused your injury by settling your claim for less than the insurance policy limits and (2) making a profit for the insurance company’s shareholders. As you can imagine, paying you the least amount of money for your claim is a step in the right direction for both of their interests.
- Despite the fact that the insurance adjuster may act indifferent to the possibility that you will hire an attorney, the insurance company does not want you to hire an attorney. First, injured people with attorneys are typically paid more in their settlement (an attorney can be a great resource because he or she (a) is knowledgeable on how to best present your case to the insurance company and (b) brings the possibility of a lawsuit and an unpredictable jury verdict). Also, in North Carolina, if you file a lawsuit, the insurance company is required to hire its own attorney to represent the person who caused your accident (the in-house attorneys at the insurance company are not allowed to represent the person who caused your injury). If you hire an attorney you will typically receive a higher settlement and also cost the insurance company money in legal fees. To discuss your claim with one of our Durham Auto Accident Lawyers or Greensboro Auto Accident Lawyers call us at (888) 820-5885.
- Many insurance adjusters will mislead you as to the strength of your case. For example, I have had several clients believe that they are not entitled to a settlement because they had prior back injuries from a previous accident. Because the insurance company is not looking out for your best interests, we do not recommend that you consider the insurance company’s assessment of the strength of your case. Rather, considering talking to an attorney to discuss your case (our Durham Personal Injury Attorneys and Greensboro Personal Injury Attorneys are willing to provide you with a free consultation to discuss the merits of your case).
- Every aspect of your personal injury claim is negotiable. Do not ever take what your insurance adjuster is saying at face value. For example, if you are told that the insurance company will not pay for (a) certain repairs to your vehicle, (b) certain rental car expenses, (c) out of pocket expenses related to your accident, (d) loss of value to your vehicle, (e) etc., take this as the insurance company’s opinion. Before you settle your claim or drop your claim, talk to a Durham Personal Injury Lawyer or Greensboro Personal Injury Lawyer to see if what the insurance company is legally sound. Additionally, if the insurance adjuster tells you that you are receiving his or her “final offer” or “best offer,” don’t believe it. Insurance adjusters are very talented and trained negotiators, and it is extremely rare that there is no room for negotiation. If you have reached an impasse with the insurance company, our Durham Injury Attorneys and Greensboro Injury Attorneys are available to consult with you on what steps you should take to move your claim forward.
- The insurance company and insurance adjuster will not tell you about all the aspects of your claim that you are entitled to receive compensation for, such as (a) loss of value/diminution of value/diminishment of value/diminished value of your vehicle and (b) out-of-pocket costs such as prescriptions, mileage expenses driving to and from doctor visits. Do not assume that the insurance company is compensating you for all of your claims. Unless you are aware of all of your rights to compensation, you should consult with a Durham Injury Lawyer or Greensboro Injury Lawyer.
- Unless the insurance company can settle your case cheaply, it is in the insurance company’s best interest to delay your claim (the insurance company holds premiums in reserves and makes interest on those reserves – so the insurance company makes interest on the money between the time its policyholder pays the premium and the time the insurance company pays its claims). Because of this reality, the main strategy for the insurance company is to offer you a settlement that is less than what your claim is worth, and then just sort of ignore/delay your claim if you are not willing to settle for less. If you have gotten to the point where you are not really making progress with the insurance company, perhaps it is time to involve one of our Durham Accident Attorneys or Greensboro Accident Attorneys.
- Unless the insurance company can settle your case cheaply, it is in the insurance company’s best interest to delay your claim (the insurance company holds premiums in reserves and makes interest on those reserves – so the insurance company makes interest on the money between the time its policyholder pays the premium and the time the insurance company pays its claims). Because of this reality, the main strategy for the insurance company is to offer you a settlement that is less than what your claim is worth, and then just sort of ignore/delay your claim if you are not willing to settle for less. If you have gotten to the point where you are not really making progress with the insurance company, perhaps it is time to involve one of our Durham Accident Attorneys or Greensboro Accident Attorneys.
