You can play it safe on the roads. Give every motorist around you a wide berth and still be forced into a bad accident by a careless driver. You might have to have a short chat with the driver to exchange information, but, unfortunately, you’ll be getting to know his or her insurance company much, much better.
After getting hurt in a collision, you may be forced to ask an at-fault driver’s insurance company, like GEICO or Allstate, for the help they should already be providing. It can be a helpless feeling when you deal with a giant corporation that doesn’t care about victims. In fact, they may be more interested in making your situation worse, by withholding the compensation you’re depending on.
Support for Accident Victims When Facing Insurance Companies
If you are in a serious accident and find yourself squared off against a stranger’s uncooperative insurance firm, contact Kaufman & Stigger Injury Lawyers, PLLC, immediately. You didn’t cause your accident and the driver who did shouldn’t be treated better than those who were injured. We offer you a free consultation on your case so you can figure out the best course of action to getting your accident expenses, doctor’s care, and repairs completely covered.
Dealing with Louisville Insurance Companies After an Accident
In 2019, the U.S. insurance industry paid out around 184 Million dollars for liability and physical damage claims. The Insurance Information Institute adds up these enormous costs each year. It’s big business for sure and sometimes victims in car accidents can be accidentally short-changed or forgotten by large corporations. Sadly though, sometimes those hurt and emotionally scarred by a frightening accident can be short-changed on purpose.
Insurance companies protect their profits by keeping victims in the dark for most of the process:
- Won’t mention the “L” word: Lawyers. Insurance companies don’t want to hear that you’ve got an attorney representing your interests. So they won’t bring up your right to legal representation at any point through their interactions with you. An attorney can alert you to many of their standard tricks, like lowball offers, and stall tactics, so it’s something they will “forget” to tell you.
- Fail to mention deadlines: You might have certain Kentucky state laws and statutes of limitations that apply to your case. Don’t expect an insurance company to warn you of these limitations. You may have benefits that the state of Kentucky offers to victims that you won’t know about.
- Won’t mention compensation possibilities: They also won’t help you list all of your physical, emotional, and financial damages after getting hurt. There are many hardships that victims are put through that can be covered in an insurance claim but often aren’t because people don’t know to ask. A personal injury lawyer will make sure claims adjusters have a thorough list of everything you’ve been through. Each factor can increase the amount of compensation you receive.
- Will assign your case to a group of adjusters: One way an insurance company saves money is by funneling cases to a team of insurance agents. It’s a big pool of underqualified people who work off a script to guide you to the most basic, low-value settlement they can. Having an attorney can get you quickly upgraded to a dedicated adjuster for your case who is authorized to offer much more in compensation for your injury.
Accident Coverage from the Biggest and Smallest Insurance Firms
Louisville drivers have plenty of nationwide options when it comes to choosing their automobile insurance coverage. Some of the biggest options make it easy to sign up and offer some pretty big discounts. The person who hits you might have one of these giant insurance companies covering them. As we’ve seen they present their own problems.
The driver who hit you might also have a discount, fly-by-night, insurance representative. These small firms may hire too few agents and phone reps to handle all of the claims their bad drivers will earn them. You may be stuck waiting months after an accident before one of these insurance companies bothers to contact you. In the meantime, you’ll have to find a way to cover your own bills until there is a resolution or an attorney can get things moving for you.
Here are just some of the insurance companies our attorneys have experience dealing with and some additional information on each:
- GEICO
- USAA
- State Farm
- Progressive
- Allstate
- Liberty Mutual
- Farmers
- Nationwide
- American Family
- Travelers
- AAA
Injury Compensation from an Insurance Agency After an Accident
We mentioned above that insurance companies want to keep you in the dark about the kinds of things you can get compensation for. They may convince you that you’re only due the costs of an emergency room visit and a few hours of physical therapy, but what about down the road?
What if you start having issues with your injury again? What if your doctor tells you to expect complications in the months and years to come? All of those concerns need to be in your claim for damages against an insurance policy.
These are just a few of the issues that should be addressed in a claim filed against any insurance rep:
- Medical Expenses: The bills already in your mailbox and any care you’re expected to need in the years to come.
- Loss of wages: The paychecks you’ve given up by having to miss work over your injuries. The work time you’re expected to miss in the months to come.
- Permanent disability or disfigurement: Compensation for physical therapy and any medical equipment needed. You might need training for you and your family on your new way of life.
- Psychological Trauma: Car accident victims can suffer terrible anxiety issues after being a part of a scary crash. Depression can be another battle injury victims face as they may experience a loss of enjoyment of life and the struggle to rebuild a life.
- Travel costs: The expense of travel for surgeries, doctor check-ups, psychologist appointments, and meetings with your lawyer.
Insurance Liability in Car Accidents
Car accident claims have their roots in the law of negligence. Insurance companies will double and triple check to see if you’ve proven their driver was negligent before they release any compensation. You need to determine (with your attorney) if you can prove the driver who hit you violated your right to be shown care on the roads. You’ll be required to prove the following elements:
- The driver you allege to be liable for your accident owed you a duty of reasonable care.
- That duty was breached.
- His or her breach of duty caused your accident.
- The accident caused your injuries.
- You suffered legally recognized damages.
Insurance agents will be looking at this list closely to see if they can dismiss your claim. Your attorney will also be collecting evidence, witness testimony, and important documents to make sure your case is undeniable.
Contact a Louisville Car Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been the victim of a careless driver and suffered a serious injury, don’t leave your recovery in the hands of insurance companies. There are dozens of insurance companies at-fault drivers may use, but their tricks are pretty much standard. They are meant to keep you from the compensation you need to get back on your feet and restart your life.
Talk to a Louisville Car Accident Attorney you can trust to be on your side and fight for your fair compensation. The attorneys at Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, have that knowledge and a combined 100 years’ experience in helping clients get the compensation they’ll need to make a full recovery. To discuss your case, contact Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC today, by clicking here to contact them online.
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