If you are injured in a car accident in Seattle and believe that the person representing the insurance company on the other line has your best interest and is just another person just like you, you are wrong. Insurance adjusters are professional negotiators and know how to get you to settle for as little as possible. Insurance adjusters often go to claims schools in order to become an insurance adjuster. At this school they are taught how to answer calls, how to evaluate claims, and most importantly how to make you settle for as little money as possible.
If you have been injured in a car accident, they will want to take your statement at the outset of your case and put words into your mouth on a recorded line. This is one of the tricks they play to show that either you caused the car accident in some way or another or you were not has hurt as you are claiming later.
What should you do then? You should tell them you are not comfortable making a statement at this time and you should ask a Seattle personal injury lawyer about your case. Rarely will a Seattle personal injury lawyer tell you it is a good idea to give a statement to the insurance company.
Insurance adjusters will try to offer you money soon after the car accident to compensate you for your injuries. They will try to make you realize that they have a check book and can write you a check right now to compensate you for your case. They will belittle your injuries and tell them your injuries are not worth much so you should take this offer now or it will go away.
When should you ever try to settle your case following a car accident? If you are trying to settle your case without a Seattle personal injury lawyer, you should wait until your injuries have healed and you are back to 100%. That probably means you need to go to a physical therapist, chiropractor, massage therapist, etc., in order to get better.
How do you pay for your treatment that you need if you are waiting for your settlement to pay for treatment? If you do not have your own car insurance policy called personal injury protection or PIP and you don’t have medical insurance, most physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, etc., will wait to be compensated out of the settlement. However, most of the time they will require you to have an attorney representing you in order for them to give you treatment up front for free because they want to make sure they are paid out of the settlement.
How much is your case worth? This is a tough question that is dependent and unique to each individual case. However, you are entitled to compensation for medical bills whether you paid for them out of pocket or your insurance company paid for them, lost wages even if you used vacation or sick leave and were still paid, and pain and suffering. Pain and suffering is dependent on how long you sought medical treatment, how severe your injuries from the car accident were, and if you have permanent injuries, among other things.
If you have been in a car accident, don’t get schooled by these trained professional negotiators. Even the field and hire your own professional negotiator/ Seattle personal injury lawyer today. Consultations are free and we are paid out of the settlement so no up front costs. Personal injury lawyers are very affordable because we are paid out of the settlement and there are no out of pocket costs. Everyone can afford a personal injury lawyer but you can’t afford to not have one.