A personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles is prepared to deal with insurance companies. You must contact an insurer after an accident. However, its goal is to pay as little as possible, so obtaining fair compensation for injuries or property damage is challenging. No matter how sympathetic an agent or adjuster may seem, their employer’s bottom line is their focus—not your best interests. Personal representation and experience negotiating with insurance companies are among the top reasons to hire a personal injury lawyer.
Whether working with your insurance company or a driver’s or another party’s insurer, an attorney can:
Help Prepare a Statement
An insurance company may request a statement immediately after an accident. Claims adjusters, accident investigators, and others may contact you or visit your home. In some cases, an insurer sends someone directly to the accident scene.
This presents challenges because, while insurance professionals are well-prepared, you might be shaken up and in pain after an accident. Being upset and confused can lead to making inaccurate statements. Whether you try to correct them later, the insurance company can still use them against you.
What If I Need to Speak to My Insurer?
A claim must be filed shortly after an accident. It often requires making a statement. However, you have time to speak to an attorney, who can guide you in what to say, or talk to an insurance representative on your behalf. They can even help gather the evidence needed to strengthen your case.
Insurance adjusters often pursue their goals by contacting you at the worst time. It’s hard to think clearly when you’re injured, just lost property, and have a pile of bills with no income to pay them. A common tactic is to obtain information to justify reducing or denying your claim. If you must talk to the insurance company before your lawyer does, remember the following tips:
- Keep the Conversation Brief and Simple: Just state the facts of the accident. Offer short answers to the agent’s questions and don’t add any details.
- Report You Were In an Accident: It’s important to connect the claim with the accident you were in. Explain where it occurred and who was involved.
- Be General About Your Injuries: Avoid speculating about the nature and severity of injuries. Let a doctor or specialist diagnose the problem and provide more specific details later. Plus, you may not yet know the full extent of your injuries.
- Explain the Nature of Any Property Damage: If a car or other property was damaged in the accident, you’ll want to include repair expenses in the claim.
- Note You Exchanged Insurance Information with Others: Exchanging insurance information is one of the most important steps after an accident. Your insurer and attorney will use these details later.
- Reveal Whether the Police Were Notified: Law enforcement officials can provide a detailed account of an accident and clues as to its causes. They also file a police report that can prove to be invaluable evidence.
Fight for a Fair Settlement
An insurance company often presents a low initial settlement offer. It’s usually far less than the actual value of the claim. The company may even pressure claimants into settling quickly, visiting them at home and making convincing arguments that agreeing to settle is the most affordable option.
Delay tactics are often used to intentionally prolong the claims process. Aside from delaying responses to inquiries, the insurer may schedule multiple appointments that aren’t necessary or request an excessive amount of documentation. An experienced personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles is familiar with these tactics and holds an insurance company accountable to be fair during the process.
Once you sign a settlement agreement, you can’t ask for more. Therefore, your lawyer can advise you on the risks of a quick settlement and protect you from an insurance company’s coercive tactics.
Negotiate on Your Behalf
Negotiating with an insurance company isn’t easy. The claims process has many steps and insurers aren’t usually eager to pay. However, it’s possible to negotiate with them if you have the skills of a personal injury attorney. Your legal representative can file a lawsuit if necessary and even take your case to trial.
No matter how far your lawyer takes it, succeeding requires effective communication and an understanding of complex legal language. An insurer might make the first settlement offer seem like the only deal. But it is not the final answer. You’re not obligated to accept the offer. Your personal injury attorney has a structured process for negotiating with and putting pressure on the insurance company, using the following strategies:
- Demand Letter: The demand letter is the first formal communication between your lawyer and the at-fault party’s insurance company. Providing a detailed account of the accident and your injuries, this letter must provide a persuasive and compelling argument supporting the compensation you’re demanding. Your attorney knows the evidence needed to substantiate the claim, including medical records, accident scene photos, and witness statements.
- Prepare a Minimum Settlement Figure: An insurance adjuster is a skilled negotiator. So is your personal injury attorney. The first offer is typically lower than a reasonable settlement value, but this is a negotiating tactic. Insurance companies assume clients don’t know the full value of their claim. An attorney prepares a minimum settlement figure that is carefully calculated. It is a guide for the negotiation process.
- Present Clear, Unbiased Evidence: Photographs and medical records provide visual evidence of the severity of your injuries. Your lawyer can present documentation on medical treatments and calculate the cost of ongoing issues and future medical care (they can also include proof of damage to your car or other property). Discussing future damages can be very effective during negotiation, as can focusing on the emotional and psychological effects of the accident.
- Show a Willingness to Proceed Further: Personal injury cases are usually resolved through settlements. But despite going back and forth in negotiations, some insurance companies refuse to present a fair offer. Your attorney can demonstrate a willingness to proceed to court if necessary. An insurance company may then reconsider their offer, as losing the case and being involved in the litigation process can be more costly than agreeing to a fair settlement.
Attorneys Have Knowledge of Complex Language
Communications between attorneys and insurance companies include complex legal language. Effective communication requires experience with technical terms. To apply them correctly, you must understand legal statutes and verbiage that explains your situation and goals from a legal standpoint. The insurance company will interpret the law from a perspective that represents its own best interests.
An experienced attorney can interpret the complex language an insurance company uses. Numerous offers and counteroffers may be made until both sides reach an agreement. A compromise is often reached after several back-and-forths. If you’re not familiar with legal language, it can be difficult to pursue a claim. The ability to communicate is one of an attorney’s greatest assets in representing your best interests.
They Can File a Personal Injury Lawsuit If Necessary
Filing a personal injury lawsuit is an option if an insurance company is unwilling to make an acceptable offer. Your attorney must keep track of time throughout the process. A lawsuit must be filed before the statute of limitations runs out, which, in California, is generally two years from the date of the accident. To ensure you don’t lose the opportunity to sue for damages, your attorney will proceed with the following steps:
- Draft written documentation detailing your claim and requested compensation.
- Hold a deposition and other meetings in which parties exchange information.
- Prepare and present evidence should the case go to trial.
Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer
A skilled personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles has many legal tools and tactics to fight for fair compensation. They can take the case to trial in which a jury or judge decides how much compensation you’re awarded. Taking a personal injury claim to trial is often lengthy. But you don’t have to accept a lowball offer either. Hire a professional attorney who can fight for your rights and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf.
Contact The Law Offices of Jacob Emrani
Our team is equipped to navigate all the complexities of personal injury law. We’ve won multi-million-dollar settlements and specialize in numerous practice areas, including car, truck, pedestrian, slip and fall, and defective product accidents. Insurance companies often don’t make offers that cover all accident-related expenses. Our personal injury lawyers in Los Angeles ensure you get the financial compensation you deserve. Call (888) 952-2952 for a free consultation.