This page really should be titled “Why you should get a lawyer very quickly!!!” The best reason for that is simple: So your lawyer can be the go between for you and the insurance company(ies).
When injured or emotional, are you ever at your best? What about when taking new medicines? However, that’s not the only reason to obtain prompt representation.
When a claim is reported, some of the insurance company intake questions nowadays are almost confrontational. Just to shake up a claimant, they sternly warn of jail time for false reporting of an insurance claim (Duh, but even saying it out loud / and why the attitude?). When we report a claim, we answer all of the questions on the phone and are amazed at what all they will ask, much of it designed to potentially harm your claim. Obviously, you should report any claim to your own insurer as soon as you can, but when we report and follow up on claims for you, we do all the talking. If it is your own insurance company they also have a right to take your recorded statement. An at fault adjuster, however, may try to weaken your claim by seeking information that can diminish the valuation or even the liability for who is at fault. The insurer’s interests certainly do not align with yours, because you want money. Their insured’s conduct hurt you, so they have to pay. Insurance adjuster’s are rated and paid by how many claims dollars they save, and do not spend. Adjusters are not rated based on how many claims dollars they give away.
Insurance companies also set reserves for cases, early on in the claims process, meaning they think your case might be worth “X”, so they reserve that amount to pay the claim (and hopefully will pay less). That reserve number changes based on information the insurer receives during the claims process, which process may be over an extended period of time. Insurance companies are systems that do not respond well to last minute claims crises. Your attorney can provide that information to the adjusters and hopefully in a more persuasive manner. The early days and months of a claim will also give your law firm a chance to investigate, obtain records, conduct witness interviews, prepare to get medical rccords, photographs, hiring accident reconstructionist, look for coverage, etc. You also do not want to be late asserting your legal rights and delaying the process may affect future substantial rights as well.
