You do not really need to file a personal injury lawsuit so you can recover all you have lost from the car accident you were involved in. The fact still remains that going through the claims process with the insurance company still remains the first and foremost thing that needs to be done. When settling a personal injury claim with an insurance company, how do you ensure you get a fair settlement, what should you watch out for during the claims process and what options do you have if you do not like what is being offered.
All of these scenarios which we have listed up there are question that you are likely to deal with and that is why you have this article at your fingertips to guide you through your personal injury claims process with an insurance company.
Settling A Personal Injury Claim With An Insurance Company
If you have been involved in a car accident and you are filing a personal injury claim with the insurance company of the at fault driver, here are some tips on what you should do and also what you should expect;
Gather Information
Gathering information still remains one of the most important thing that you should do after car accident happens and most importantly, you would need to take down the personal information of the at fault driver and his insurance company. Routine information regarding the accident should be collected as well and this refers to location of the accident, the time it happened, the date, the parties involved and also if any injuries were sustained. Having all this information at hand prepares you to file your personal injury claim.
Filing A Personal Injury Claim
Contacting the insurance company of the at fault driver immediately the accident happens is very important immediately after the accident and depending on the company, there is a limited amount of time that everyone has to do that. Most companies limit the time frame you have to report a car accident to twenty four hours after the accident and the essence of filing this claim is to get them aware that one of their drivers injured you and you are willing to pursue damages.
Some insurance companies would accept your claim through mails or through phone calls and after filing a claim, you would have to wait for the insurance company to respond to your claim before knowing the next step to take. After this, you would be assigned an insurance claims adjuster and this claims adjuster would send you a reservation of rights letter.
List Out Your Damages And Ask For Compensation
Once you have received the letter from the claims adjuster then submitting a demand letter is what you should do next. However, when you decide to submit this letter depends but it would be better if you have already made significant recovery from your injuries because that is when it would very easy for money spent on medical bills to be calculated easily. In your demand letter, you have the opportunity to give more details about the accident and also bring forth evidence that would support your claims.
Review The First Settlement By The Insurance Company
The insurance company would respond immediately they get your demand letter and there isn’t any requirement for getting back to you immediately. Knowing that insurance companies do not have your best interests at heart is important as well and that is why they would offer you something lesser than what you have asked for in your demand letter. Do not feel pressured into accepting an offer that would not cover for all of your expenses but instead, hold out for a more better offer.
Making a counter offer is what you should do next and it is either you make your initial amount double or you come down to meet them halfway. It would be in your best interests if you show the insurance company that you are open to negotiations but also try to make it very clear that you are serious about getting a fair settlement offer as compensation for the pain and suffering that the accident has caused you.
Lastly, insurance companies rarely respond to counter offers made by accident victims and if your case goes in this direction then you should go ahead and hire a lawyer. Threatening to file a lawsuit might even be enough to scare them to reconsider their offer once again and this would also boost your chances of getting the compensation that you deserve.
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