Why Car Insurance Companies Don’t Want You to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney
If you’ve recently been involved in a car accident, you probably already have a lot on your mind before you even consider who will cover the costs of any damage or medical bills. Most people assume that their insurance company will cover any fees while they concentrate on their recovery. However, to actually obtain a payment you will most likely need to hire a personal injury attorney.
Many car insurance companies can often actively discourage you from hiring an injury lawyer, particularly in more severe cases. This appears to be the exact opposite of the recommended course of action for your case and can confuse those who are being advised to do different things by various parties.
Why Do Insurance Companies Discourage Hiring an Attorney?
The main reason car insurance companies try to discourage you from hiring a personal injury attorney is not because you do not need one or because it will save you money, but because it will save them money.
While this may sound unethical, you are more likely to win your case and be awarded the money you are entitled to after an accident with a lawyer. Insurance companies do not want to lose money by paying out to you, even if it is necessary in a legitimate case. You may have paid money into an insurance policy for this kind of occasion, but if the insurance company pays out the money needed to cover the costs of an accident, this will impact their profits. As a business, their aim is to make money and increase profits, which could be put at risk if you hire an experienced injury lawyer to handle your case.
For a more serious case, insurance companies can sometimes be required to pay out up to ten times the amount they originally offered because of the involvement of a personal injury lawyer. Car insurance companies often wish to save money on claims in order to boost profit margins, which is unlikely to happen if you employ an attorney to represent your case, especially if it is more severe.
If you are involved in any kind of car wreck, no matter how big or how small, the best thing to do it to research and hire a San Antonio personal injury attorney to help with your case. Your car insurance company may advise you that this is not necessary, however, if you want to attain a fair settlement this is your best option.
Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney
A serious case involving a car accident requires a suitable personal injury attorney that is right for you. Before you hire a lawyer to represent your case, you need to research different attorneys, their company, and the cases they specialize in.
Online reviews from previous clients, peer review ratings, and advice from family and friends who may have experienced similar incidents are all good ways to gauge how efficiently an attorney handles similar cases.
As part of your research, you may want to consider speaking to your individual state bar association, which will have information on local personal injury attorneys and law firms that have dealt with claims similar to your own. They can make suggestions of companies based on the details of your case and your local area while also providing information on any specialties or grievances filed against them.
One thing to avoid when hiring a personal injury lawyer to take on your insurance case is a law firm you have seen advertised on television. While the attorneys may be very competent and able to take on your case, many companies shown on television have an extremely high volume of clients. The greater the amount of cases, the higher the rate of customer dissatisfaction. This is due the amount of work involved in dealing with such a large amount of clients, creating a disparity in the level of service each customer receives.
The next step is to meet with some attorneys to discuss the basis of your case and find out which one meets your needs. Speak to each attorney you are considering, taking the results of each consultation into account. This will help you come to a decision with all of the information you need, to ensure that you are comfortable and can obtain the best settlement from your insurance company as possible.