After a crash, the last thing you really want to do is to think about filing an insurance claim. Your mind is probably still reeling from getting hurt, and you’re adjusting to all the new problems you have to deal with. Your health isn’t 100 percent, and you don’t feel like you have the energy to try to negotiate with an insurance agent over this crash.
The good thing is that your attorney can negotiate on your behalf, so you can focus on recovering. You never have to speak to anyone other than your attorney throughout this time, saving you energy that is better used to help you recover.
Insurance agents may reach out to you following a crash, especially if the accident is a result of their client. Their goal is to have you settle for the lowest amount of money possible. It’s not personal. All insurance agencies work on the idea that if you can get someone to settle for less, it saves them money.
In your case, you should never settle right away. You don’t want to settle before you know the full impact of your injuries or how they could affect you in the future. You need to be aware of how much you’ve lost in relation to your vehicle’s damage, missed days of work and through other factors. Besides the obvious, you also lose peace of mind and have to deal with injuries, which is something you should be compensated for.
What shouldn’t you do if an insurance agent calls?
You shouldn’t settle for what you think is a good deal just because the agent says you can’t get more. The reality is that they’re supposed to act as if they’re being fair when they may not be fair at all. Your attorney knows how much cases like yours are worth and has the skills to negotiate a fair settlement for you. Your attorney has not been through the recent trauma you have, either, which makes him or her better able to handle the demands of negotiating with a persistent insurance agency.
Don’t ever agree to have your statements be recorded or to send written statements to the insurance company until you’ve spoken with your attorney about the situation. If you say the wrong things at the wrong time, it could hurt your case and ability to collect a fair amount of compensation from the at-fault driver’s insurance agency.