Why You Should Only Let Your Attorney Talk with Insurance Companies After an Accident

When you have been in an accident of any sort, one of your first instincts might be to call your insurance provider – such as an auto insurance company after a car accident – but it probably shouldn't be. Insurance companies only care about one thing, profits. They don’t care about your well-being or how you are doing. Insurance Companies only care about making the most money they can, even if that means they will “step on the throats” of injured victims. The simplest way that an insurance company can increase profits is by attempting to reduce the resolution you receive from your claim/case. Unfortunately, this business strategy means that your insurance provider does not prioritize what you need, but rather prioritizes its interests to the point that an insurance adjuster will likely listen to every small word in any conversation you have to find a way to reduce or deny your claim. We have even received transcripts of conversations where an adjuster was asking leading questions and the response by the injured victim was conveniently omitted which left a possibility that the leading question was correct. It was truly “dirty pool.”

You can make sure that your interests and recovery are prioritized by hiring The Law Office of Joshua W. Branch as soon as possible after your accident. Once you have a signed contract with us you will know that we are on it for you and we do work for you and are singularly focused on your health and your well-being.

Let Your Lawyer Do the Talking

If you can, you should let your personal injury attorney do all the talking with any insurance company, whether it is your insurance provider or an insurer that is representing the party that hurt you in the accident. Not only will letting your lawyer communicate for you let you save energy to keep resting, but it will also help ensure that you don’t misspeak. Lawyers know what insurance companies need to hear, and what they want to hear, like admissions of guilt. As a result, lawyers also know what to say to insurance companies to keep your claim on track.

When you let an attorney talk to insurance companies on your behalf, you can appreciate these benefits:

• Understanding the legal language: Your attorney knows the legal language that surrounds insurance claims. Everything from discussions of damages to figuring out liability can become unexpectedly complicated with legal language if you aren’t an attorney yourself. By putting your attorney in charge of your case and letting them discuss the matter with insurers, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll never feel confused just by the on-paper wording of your case.
• Preventing unintentional admissions of guilt: You should leave all conversations with insurance representatives up to your attorney, especially conversations with the other party’s insurance provider. The only thing the other party’s insurer wants to do is find a way to blame you for the accident and your injuries and losses. They will listen for misspeaks that make you seem liable. Even something as simple as saying “I’m sorry” can be misconstrued to sound like you are admitting guilt. If you let your lawyer do all the talking for you, though, there’s virtually no chance of you accidentally giving an admission of guilt or something that sounds like it.
• Negotiating settlements: There is a chance that at some point in your case, the other side will try to negotiate a settlement to avoid litigation. Or the court might order you to attempt to negotiate or mediate a settlement before it allows your claim to officially escalate to a trial. If you have an attorney on your side, you can let them represent you during negotiations. They can use their legal knowledge, insight, and resources to attempt to reach a fair settlement that acknowledges the extent of your losses and saves you the trouble of going to court.

How to Handle Property Damage Claims

If you are in an accident that results in significant property damage, such as a traffic collision that wrecks your car, you will have options to seek damages for both your injuries and the destruction of your property. A property damage claim can be filed to get coverage that helps pay for the repair or replacement of your vehicle. For the most part, you should be fine to talk to your insurance provider about a property damage claim without using your attorney as a liaison.

Property damage claims are entirely based on the costs needed to repair or replace your damaged property, like a vehicle. Such costs are clear-cut and don’t leave much room at all for interpretation, so you should be able to discuss them with your insurance provider. However, it is still not recommended that you talk to the opposing insurance company on your own. Your insurance company should agree to deal with the other insurer on your behalf.

Before Calling Insurance, Call Us

After being in an accident, you will want to notify your insurance company quickly, so you’ll want to talk to an attorney even faster. What this means is that you should call The Law Office of Joshua W. Branch – The Athens Injury Attorney as soon as possible after being in an accident. Many people choose to call a lawyer while they are still at the scene of the accident and awaiting the help of emergency responders. Attorneys can make stronger cases when they have more useful evidence of what happened, and such evidence is often easiest to find and utilize shortly after the accident or incident.

After your attorney gets a chance to evaluate the situation and take any initial steps to start building your case, they can notify your insurance company for you. While you’re getting medical treatments or taking care of other important matters, your legal team can already be getting to work on your claim, including handling all interactions with insurance companies and adjusters.