Knowing how to settle an insurance claim without a lawyer would require you to have good knowledge of the claims process as well as also having a perfect understanding of what the case if worth.
Claims adjusters and other people who work for these insurance companies do not really have a deep legal knowledge of the process so if you want to settle any case by yourself then you do not need to have legal knowledge as well.
How To Settle An Insurance Claim Without A Lawyer
If you have suffered injuries based on someone else’s mistakes, you have been involved in a car accident or your home has been gutted by fire, you can move to settle your claims without the help of a lawyer and you can do this by communicating with the insurance company directly or having discussions with the insurance company of the other person at fault.
Gathering Important Document
If you are looking at effectively settling your claim then you would need to gather substantial evidence and one thing you must done is keeping track of all necessary information and details no matter how irrelevant they might seem.
You should take notes of what really happened as well as the persons involved as you still have the information fresh in your mind. If there is any then it is advisable to obtain a police report as well as it would contain evidence on who is at fault, details surrounding the incident and cases of injuries sustained.
If you would like to receive compensation for injury occurred then every document relating to medical treatment should be provided as well and you should also write down contact information, statements and names of eye witnesses if there are any. Damages to properties and lost wages should be included as well and you might also be entitled to some amount of extra compensation if you have suffered emotional distress, suffering or pain like anxiety or fear.
File A Claim
The next thing to do after putting all of your evidences together is to file a claim. This claim is regarded to be the formal request to the insurance company asking them for some payment and depending on the situation at hand, your claim might be addressed to your insurance company of that of the person at fault. The company might require you to make use of their claim form, template or a general form when notifying the insurance company of your claims.
The details of your claim should be kept formal and simple as well as a precise description of what truly happened including injuries sustained and damages to property. You should also leave your contact information so the insurance company would be able to reach you after reading through your claims.
Negotiate A Settlement
You would have a claims adjuster assigned to your case immediately the insurance company gets your request for compensation and the role of the claims adjuster is to verify how valid your claims are and also reviewing them to see what settlement both parties can come to. The claims adjuster is going to offer a settlement that is way lesser compared to what you want but you should counter the offer of the claims adjuster with another higher settlement option. Whatever you do, make sure the insurance company doesn’t see you back out of a negotiation.
You should be confident and insist that the case should not be closed until all damages have been repaired and all injuries are healed. Maintaining that the case remains open puts you in the position of receiving extra amount of compensation if it happens that new injuries tends to pop up along the line.
Tips And Warnings
Even though several minor injuries or automobiles claims can be handled without the assistance of a lawyer, it is also important that you go ahead and seek advice from a legal practitioner especially if the case is resulting into that of a medical malpractice or there are injuries involved.
If you go on to handle the settlement case without the help of a lawyer and the insurance company is still reluctant to pay the compensation then you can hire the services of a lawyer to reach a settlement.
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