If you've been in an auto collision, you may need to hire a lawyer to represent you because you suffered serious injuries, or the legal rules implicated by your personal injury claim are highly complex. Sometimes, the insurance company refuses to settle in good faith. If any of the following apply to you, you should contact an experienced lawyer right away.
(1) YOU SUFFERED LONG-TERM OR PERMANENT INJURIES. If you sustained serious injuries in a collision that will require long-term care or left you with permanent disabilities, you should hire a lawyer immediately. An experienced lawyer can calculate how much your injuries are worth. Moreover, figuring out how your injuries will impact your earning capacity over time can be difficult and generally requires expert assistance. To get the most out of your personal injury claim or lawsuit, you need a lawyer who can pursue all available forms of compensation for your injuries and other losses.
(2) YOU SUFFERED SEVERE INJURIES. The amount of compensation you ultimately receive for your injuries largely depends on how severe your injuries are. Insurance companies measure the severity of your injuries by the type of injuries you sustained, the amount of your medical bills you incurred, and the length of your recovery time. As the amount of your potential compensation increases, the more likely you are to reach the limits of the at-fault party’s insurance policy. If this is the case, the insurance company may only be able to pay you a fraction of what you deserve. In these types of cases, you should hire a lawyer to make sure you receive the total amount of compensation to which you are entitled.
(3) THERE ARE MULTIPLE PARTIES INVOLVED OR LIABILITY IS NOT CLEAR. If you were involved in a collision where multiple parties may be liable for your injuries, you should contact a lawyer. When multiple drivers are involved in a collision, dealing with insurance companies can be very complicated. Because several people may have been injured, there may not be as much settlement money to go around. You could also be the subject of insurance claims from the other parties, ultimately having your settlement offer decreased or reduced to nothing because of your proportional fault for the accident.
You should always contact a lawyer if you have been injured in a collision and may be partially at-fault for the crash. A lawyer can help protect you against counterclaims and cross-claims by the other parties who were involved in the accident.
(4) THE INSURANCE COMPANY REFUSES TO PAY OR ENGAGES IN BAD FAITH TACTICS. Sometimes, insurance companies simply refuse to make a fair settlement offer or refuse to make any offer at all. If you are unable to secure a fair settlement offer from the at-fault party’s insurance company on your own, or negotiations with the insurance company have broken down, you should contact a lawyer right away.
There is also a chance that the insurance company is engaged in bad faith insurance tactics. In that case, you will need assistance from a lawyer who has experience litigating bad faith insurance claims.
If any of these situations apply to you or a member of your family, give us a call at 253.858.5434 to find out how we can help.