Risks Associated with Handling Your Own Car Accident Claim

Handling Car accident claim alone

You probably don’t know this yet, but every year, more than 2 million people get injured in car accidents across the country. This statistic is, by all means, worrying, especially when one considers some accidents claim lives.

Many victims choose to hire personal injury attorneys to help them file lawsuits for compensation. Some want to handle their claims on their own. Numerous risks come along with the latter option. Read on to learn more.

Damage to the Claim

You make yourself susceptible to procedural and documentation mistakes once you choose to handle your car accident claim by yourself. These mistakes often turn out to be costly.

You may end up making a statement to the insurance company involved, creating a report, or signing a document that can easily make it hard for you to claim damages beyond a certain amount. Note that some mistakes may be impossible even for a seasoned personal injury attorney to correct.

Bringing a car accident lawyer on board right from the start ensures that you will be keen on the onset. You will not forfeit your rights or be coerced into settling your claim. Your attorney will also make sure that your lawsuit is well prepared and filed within the relevant statute of limitations.

Denial of a Claim

What next for an individual whose claim has been denied? Well, this may sound farfetched, but it happens. It is then that individuals choose to hire a lawyer. Remember, you will have wasted both time and money by considering hiring an attorney after your claim has been denied.

There is a simple reason why many claims get denied. Insurance companies hire their own in-house attorneys and insurance adjusters. Their work is to protect the legal and financial interests of the insurance companies they work for.

As such, they will deliberately deny as many claims as they can. Working with a lawyer will make it easy for you to fight for your rights until the very end.

Lower Settlement

The insurance adjuster involved in your claim may not deny your request. He or she may, however, choose to settle your claim for as little as possible. This outcome is unfortunate because many people do not realize the actual value of their claims.

Many do not even realize the type of compensation they are entitled to. This mistake cannot happen once you have a lawyer to help you with your claim.

Additional Stress

Many insurance companies try to make it hard for accident victims to file their claims. This can be frustrating, especially where the accident victim suffered extension physical and emotional pain. That explains why many accident victims handling their claims make bad decisions.

A personal injury lawyer gets rid of all that stress. The lawyer handles communication with the insurance company involved and negotiates on your behalf.

The lawyer’s action makes it easy for you to focus on recovery. Remember, your lawyer will keep you updated throughout the negotiating process. If the negotiations fail, your lawyer will proceed to work.

Experience

Lack of experience can easily prove to be costly while filing a claim for compensation. Personal injury lawyers negotiate with insurance companies on behalf of their clients daily. Some law firms have built a rapport with some insurance companies. Agreeing on a settlement is, therefore, easy in such circumstances.

Additionally, if your claim has to go all the way to trial, you are more likely to be in safe hands with your lawyer than if you choose to proceed with the claim alone. It gets even better with the fact that your attorney will most likely be familiar with the procedural rules involved to litigate your matter correctly.

Loss of Other Compensation

There may be additional forms of compensation available in your case. And this mostly applies to traffic accident cases. For example, through subrogation, an accident victim may be able to receive monetary compensation for the deductible he or she had to pay.

Failure to Receive Proper Medical Treatment

It is easy for you to quickly settle a claim believing you have only suffered property damage. You may have experienced untreated medical issues that manifest after you have recovered damages for them.

But this cannot happen with a competent personal injury lawyer by your side. That’s because many personal injury lawyers have a network of doctors, physicians, and healthcare facilities they can recommend ensuring all underlying medical issues are discovered on time.

Privacy Issues

It may be hard for a person handling his or her accident claim to see the privacy risks associated with the claim follow up process. Think about it for a second. The insurance adjuster handling your claim will most likely ask for information about your medical history. In the process, you may have to process a signed statement that allows the adjuster access to years of medical records. The information can be used against you to your detriment. Hire an attorney not just to help you with your claim but also to protect your privacy throughout the process.

Seek our professional help to handle your car accident claim. Call Fetterman & Associates, P.A today at 561-845-2510.