Will My Car Accident Lawyer Deal With the Insurance Companies For Me?

A motor vehicle accident requires a lot of legwork just to get fair compensation. Claimants must constantly communicate with their insurance companies and deal with potentially confusing paperwork and files.

The situation can feel very frustrating because households pay good money to ensure coverage. In fact, Michigan reports the most expensive insurance rates in the country despite not even being in the top 10 of states with the highest accident rates. To smooth out the process, many people find it helpful to request assistance from a lawyer.

How Does a Lawyer Help With Insurance Claims?

A sad reality is that sometimes a settlement is not enough money to handle the aftermath of a car accident. Many people know of friends and family members who were victims of a crash and still struggle to scrape by, despite receiving what seemed to be a healthy compensation package at the time. A lawyer can minimize the odds of this scenario and assist with other issues.

Lawyers Help Their Clients Avoid Stress

One right Americans have in dealing with legal issues is relying on an attorney’s counsel in civil matters. People can direct that all communication goes through their lawyer. Such a rule prohibits the opposing legal team from harassing a person or interfering in aspects of a case or claim. A person also might prefer to communicate with a legal opponent but have counsel present for advice.

A person must alert the other party about the decision to handle all communication through a lawyer. A good lawyer makes this process simple by sending a notice of representation to the party, in this case, your insurance company or the insurance company of the other party in the collision.

People recuperating from physical and emotional injuries after an accident do not need the added stress of answering many questions or filling out an endless stack of forms. A lawyer can alleviate this anxiety so an individual can focus on healing.

Lawyers Help Their Clients Avoid Mistakes

Insurance companies have agents and adjusters that deal with accidents regularly. No matter what a company’s ads or team may tell you, the company’s primary goal is to pay as little compensation as possible to make a better profit. Even a person’s own insurance company, which covers its client’s personal injury protection, has an interest in questioning an accident victim’s story and paying a smaller settlement.

An insurance agent will generally be friendly and appear compassionate. Still, the representative may use subtle tactics to trip a client up in order to lower a claim.

For example, an injured person’s own company must only pay for injuries resulting from the accident in question. During discussions, a claimant may make statements admitting to a bit of back pain before the incident. The insurance company might use this information as a reason not to cover treatments for back aches.

Another example: the other party’s insurance company might try to get a person to make an official statement. The phrasing may unintentionally imply fault in the crash or seem contradictory to comments in a police report. This apparent inconsistency could hurt a claim or case.

Car accident lawyers like the Mike Morse Law Firm team have experience dealing with insurance companies. We know how to answer questions truthfully and in a way that avoids minimizing restitution. Once an insurance company receives the notice of representation by a well-known attorney, the way it handles the case may change.

Lawyers Know What Evidence To Collect for a Strong Case

A law firm works with its client to gather evidence from police reports, eyewitnesses and video surveillance. Such data can fight any inconsistencies or lack of information from the other party. Regrettably, a person’s story may change, making the victim appear to be the at-fault party. Having unassailable footage and data helps establish the facts.

A plaintiff needs every bill, statement and estimate to demonstrate the total scope of financial loss. A conscientious lawyer works with a team to ensure this happens.

For example, an attorney works to collect medical records promptly. A patient has the right to this information to establish economic damages that an insurer must cover. However, a person may have difficulty getting to the responsible employee at a medical facility or following up to ensure the records arrive on time.

Sometimes, a firm may enlist the services of professionals who can provide authoritative testimony if a case goes to trial. Such evidence can establish negligence on the other party’s part or verify the extent of pain, suffering or other damages after the accident.

A Lawyer Can Improve Negotiations With an Insurer

Claimants should count on insurance companies to start with a lowball offer for settlements. An insurance company could even present this as a win for the claimant.

For example, one insurance company offered an auto collision victim $250,000, which may seem substantial. However, the gentleman could no longer work or enjoy the same hobbies. The Mike Morse Law Firm helped the man to win $2.8 million, amounting to compensation over 10 times the original offer.

Sometimes, an accident victim does not understand how to calculate all the eventual costs of recuperating from an accident and runs out of funds. Additionally, the stress of dealing with a case can make one’s health worse. Such stress can worsen the ability to negotiate.

A lawyer with experience can calculate all potential areas for compensation and come up with a figure closer to what a client deserves. The firm comes to the table ready to go head to head with insurance professionals and fight for a fair settlement. The lawyer can also take legal action against the insurer if the company delays payment or does not act in good faith.

How Soon Can a Lawyer Help?

Many people find it can never be too early to ask a lawyer to step in and communicate on one’s behalf. After an accident, the priority is to ensure everyone is safe and alert the authorities. A person might even call the insurance company, being careful only to report the accident but not allude to any details about personal fault or negligence.

As soon as possible, after handling a few necessary details after a crash, a person can call a lawyer. Michiganders have three years to file a claim for injuries or wrongful death after an incident but only one year to file a no-fault insurance claim. Still, the sooner a person speaks with a lawyer, the better it may be.

A lawyer can remind a person what evidence to collect at the scene. Valuable information could become unavailable if someone waits too long and weakens a case.

Who Can Communicate With Insurance Companies for Accident Victims?

Getting compensation after an accident for medical expenses and noneconomic damages should be easy. However, the legal system has many hoops to jump through. Also, insurance companies can make the process unnecessarily challenging for victims.

You can focus on recovery and fight for all deserved compensation with an attorney that will communicate on your behalf and go to battle for you. Call the team at the Mike Morse Law Firm. As Michigan’s largest personal injury firm, we are ready to help.