Things to Watch Out For When You Don’t Have a Car Accident Lawyer
Even if you are not injured, it is important to hire a car accident lawyer to represent your interests. This way, you will avoid making costly mistakes and will get fair compensation for any expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering you may incur as a result of the accident. The first step in hiring a car accident lawyer is to determine the extent of your injuries. If you are not hurt in the accident, the costs of hiring an attorney may be minimal compared to those associated with hiring an attorney.
Unrepresented claimants lack experience
Many people make mistakes during the claims settlement process, including the common mistake of being too eager to settle a claim. Injured individuals who don’t have the benefit of a lawyer often make unwise decisions. Insurance adjusters are often more likely to bully or ignore a person who’s unrepresented. Here are some things to watch out for:
Insurance adjusters are trained to convince injured claimants to handle their claims without a lawyer. They do this by citing statistics that show that unrepresented claimants receive less compensation than claimants who hire an attorney. The Allstate training manual cited that unrepresented claimants recover on average only $3,464 while those who hire an attorney recover twice that amount. Even if these statistics are bogus, the lesson is clear: insurance companies don’t want to pay as much as a lawyer would.
Unrepresented claimants lack financial resources
Insurance carriers often use a number of tricks to get the best deal for their customers and exploit the inexperience of unrepresented car accident claimants. One such tactic involves having an insurance adjuster call unrepresented victims and conduct a recorded interview. These interviews are designed to gather information that will help the insurance company settle the claim for as little as possible. The insurance company also has extensive experience and expertise that an unrepresented car accident claimant does not have.
Unrepresented claimants lack training
Many serious accident victims want to get their lives back on track after an injury. They want to make repairs, but if they’re not represented, the odds are … Read more