I won’t need an attorney. The insurance company will be fair with me.

Many people get involved in automobile accidents or trip and fall accidents and question whether they will need the help of an attorney to recover for their medical bills and the affects of the injuries. People assume that if the person or company that caused their injury has insurance, then all they will need to do is submit their bills and they will be fairly compensated for their bills and their injuries.

If you have had to deal with an insurance company, for anything, let alone an injury claim, you know that is not how it goes. The insurance company wants complete cooperation from you and give you little in return. They will ask you to provide medical and wage authorizations. They will use those authorizations to obtain not only your medical records for the subject incident but for any injuries you have had in the past. They will use your wage authorization to obtain not only information regarding your lost wages due to the incident, but information in your employee file. Many times this includes an application where you have been asked to identify any past injuries or emotional problems.

The insurance company adjuster will also want to take your recorded statement. They will tell you that it to help them evaluate your case. They will tell you that they cannot settle your claim until they have the recorded statement. If you provide the statement and fail to include an important fact as to liability, the insurance company may try to use that against you. If you fail to identify an injury in the statement, they will argue that injury was not caused by the incident. The recorded statement only helps the insurance company and potentially hurts you.

I have had clients who have given a recorded statement before I took their case. In the statement they did not identify an injury. Usually it is a situation where their neck or back hurts so bad that they really haven’t been doing anything physical. So when the initial acute stage of pain lessens and they start to do the things that they normally do, they realize their shoulder or their elbow is in pain.

Having an attorney helping you with your claim will prevent you from providing ammunition to the insurance company that wants to minimize your injuries and pay you as little money as possible. Insurance companies are money making corporations. They take in premiums and the less they pay out, means they make more money. If they can pay you 30% of your claim’s value, then they have made a 70% savings for their insurance company. Unfortunately that means that you take a 70% loss.

Whether you choose our law firm or some other law firm, consult with an attorney as soon as you can following an injury accident. Number one is to get the medical care you need. Then seek the help of an attorney that will help you navigate the pitfalls that the insurance companies have set in your way. Most people are looking for an apology and for the damages and injuries to be compensated by the wrong doer. While it is rare that a wrong doer actually apologizes (their insurance company recommends that they don’t), we can help you get fair compensation.