Dealing With Insurance Companies

Why You Shouldn't Handle Your Claim Alone

When people are injured in preventable car accidents as a result of another driver's negligent driving behavior, they are often unaware of their full rights to valuable compensation. Fortunately, when someone is injured as a result of the negligent or reckless actions of another driver, the injured party has the legal right to seek monetary compensation to cover their economic and non-economic losses. Personal injury law is here to protect people from unreasonable harm, and to prevent people from behaving in a dangerous and reckless manner that endangers the health and safety of others.

The average person is not familiar with personal injury claims and how they are governed under California State laws, nor are most people aware of their rights to compensation when they are injured. A personal injury claim or lawsuit can be filed in a variety of motor vehicle accidents including car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents and even hit and run accidents.

Determining who is legally liable to cover the damages in an auto accident will depend upon the circumstances of the case and which driver is considered to be "at fault." Occasionally, determining fault can be ambiguous to the average person and it's necessary for an attorney to hire accident reconstruction experts to determine the scientific causes of the accident to prove negligence and pursue compensation from a difficult insurance company.

In the case where a pedestrian is injured in a hit and run accident, the pedestrian may be completely unaware that they could pursue compensation from their own auto insurance carrier, and this is an example where an attorney can point this out and help the hit-and-run victim pursue compensation where they wouldn't have otherwise sought damages.

Low-Balling Insurance Companies

One of the critical reasons why injured parties should seek counsel from a Long Beach car accident attorney is because they may be entitled to compensation and not be aware of it, even in car accident cases. To illustrate, let's say a delivery driver is injured in a car accident while he is making a delivery for his job. He would be able to collect workers' compensation benefits from his employers insurance and he could collect damages from the at-fault driver's auto insurance policy. In California, workers' compensation doesn't cover pain and suffering; therefore, the injured delivery driver would be able to seek additional damages in the third party claim against the auto insurance carrier, and this would mean more compensation to help him recover.

After an auto accident, the injured victim will generally receive a phone call from the insurance company. The insurance adjuster may be very eager to settle things quickly and they may even act as if they are concerned for the victim's welfare, but in truth the insurance adjuster has one goal in mind, to pay the victim as little as possible. Insurance companies are for-profit companies and no insurance adjuster ever got a pat on the back for settling on a high-dollar number.

Over 30 Years Experience Handling California Personal Injury Claims

While car accident victims can accept a settlement on their own, this is never recommended. Victims who are in the hospital or at home recovering, or on heavy pain medications are hardly in the position to negotiate with a low-balling insurance company, and insurance companies are aware of this fact and they take advantage of this vulnerability. What's more, accident victims are not personal injury attorneys and they often have no idea what their present and future medical expenses will be, nor are they fully aware of their current and future lost income, nor are they aware of other financial damages they can collect on; for example, pain and suffering or loss of consortium.

When the injured party makes the mistake of accepting a low-ball settlement offer, they ultimately pay the price out of pocket down the road when the money runs out, and this is not a favorable position to be in. If you were recently injured in an accident, contact a Long Beach car accident attorney from the Law Office of Leonard Matsuk. With over 30 years experience handling personal injury claims, and as an AV® rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell®, and as one of the 5% of attorneys included in California's selection of Super Lawyers®, you can breathe easier knowing that attorney Matsuk has what it takes to get the job done efficiently and professionally and with your best interests at heart!