3 Reasons to Call Your Attorney Before Your Insurance Company

 Posted on May 30,2024 in Car Accidents

Car accidents cause a range of injuries, from mild to severe. They also cause damage to vehicles. In many of these cases, the first thing victims do after a car accident is call their insurance company. Insurers often instruct their clients to call the company immediately after being in an accident. 

It is important to remember, however, that although you have been making payments to an insurance company, it is not on your side. In fact, you and the insurer have two opposite objectives: yours is to get the largest payout possible, and the insurer’s is to give you the smallest, if at all.

There are reasons the insurance company wants to be your first call after an accident instead of an attorney. Here are three reasons to contact a car accident attorney before your insurance company.

Larger Settlement

Someone who is represented by an attorney is more likely to get a larger settlement offer from the insurance company than someone who is not. Studies have found that:

• A personal injury victim who is represented by a lawyer is likely to be compensated 3.5 times more than a victim who deals with the insurance company on his or her own. 

• As much as 85 percent of payouts from insurance companies have gone to bodily injury victims who had legal representation.

• As many as 91 percent of personal injury victims who had lawyers reported receiving payouts, compared to just 51 percent of victims who did not have attorneys.

Communication

Insurance claim adjusters often use a range of tactics to get you to settle for less money. You might be told, for example, that you must give a recorded statement before you can receive compensation for your claim. This is so an insurance claim adjuster can find reasons in your statement to avoid paying you a higher settlement. 

If the insurance company knows you have retained an attorney, however, the adjuster is not allowed to communicate with you directly. He or she must communicate with your attorney, who knows how to respond to the tricks insurance companies like to use.

Medical Bills

Many insurance companies use computation models and statistics when deciding how much to offer claimants for their injuries. These models tell the adjuster, for example, how long your recovery from a given injury should take. If it takes you longer, the insurance company will only want to pay for what matches its model.

An attorney, on the other hand, will fight to get you the maximum compensation for your medical bills.

Contact a Lake County, IL Car Accident Attorney

Your insurance company is not your friend. Your attorney’s sole job, on the other hand, is to defend your interests. A Waukegan, Illinois car accident lawyer should be one of the first calls you make after a car accident, and certainly before contacting your insurance company.

If you are involved in a collision, call Salvi & Maher, LLP right away. We know all the tricks and strategies used by insurance companies to pay you less than you deserve. Our experienced car accident attorneys are aggressive and will fight to get you the highest payout possible. Call 847-662-3303 for a free consultation today.