When an accident occurs, victims can be severely injured. In some cases, the effects of the injuries can be long-term, meaning the victim’s life will be forever changed. This can create a lot of confusion for the victim. Pain, suffering, and determining how to move forward can contribute to feeling uncertain about the future.
Knowing who to turn to for financial recovery can be frustrating, as many times, the respondent insurance company is still concerned with fault even though Washington is a pure comparative fault state.
In cases such as an auto accident, the insurance company will often want to wait until the official accident report is released even to consider paying any benefits. Typically, they will even dispatch an investigation team to inspect the crash scene immediately in hopes of influencing the accident reconstruction specialists regarding fault.
Premises liability cases can be severe as well because the property owners tend to be as difficult as the insurance companies in some cases. It is best to contact an experienced personal injury attorney like the ones at Dore Law Group immediately because evidence can disappear quickly, and you will always need a professional investigator on your team as soon as possible for a fair settlement.
Initial Contact
While it is not necessarily a bad decision to talk to the respondent insurance company first, claimants should always remember that even the first phone call may be recorded. Anything that is said could become part of the official record, and there is no detail too small if it can reduce the insurance company payout on a claim.
An experienced attorney will understand when the insurance company is going to be difficult, especially regarding the claimant's contribution to the injury. The more fault they can deflect back to the claimant, the more it saves the company in total payout.
Then, when a case goes to court, the jury will determine a comparative fault percentage for the claimant that is then used to discount the total claim value. The insurance company may try to guess at the percentage during settlement negotiations, and you will already need legal counsel at this point.
What an Attorney Can Do
Having an attorney handling the case from the beginning means you have a professional negotiator submitting all demands and ensuring that any ongoing problems will be addressed in a final payout. This means that medical bill coverage and vehicle damage claims can be resolved quickly with recovery for lost wages and general damages for pain-and-suffering being the final component of the claim. Also, an attorney will discourage the company from acting in bad faith during the process, and your attorney can keep a detailed account when the potential for a bad faith claim or punitive damages may be present. Your attorney assures the company and the defending negligent party that you are serious about being adequately compensated for the accident regardless of the type of claim.
Need a Personal Injury Attorney?
Never attempt handling your own personal injury claim because it could be much more complicated than you realized. Insurance companies want the best deal, and will often settle for far less than you deserve. At Dore Law Group, PLLC, we can help. We understand how you are feeling during this challenging time, but we are ready to stand by your side through it all. Our Kent personal injury attorney has over 30 years of experience and has dealt with hundreds of cases. We will work diligently to get you the compensation you deserve so you can begin to build your life back together.
When it matters most, we’ll be there for you. Call Dore Law Group today at (253) 236-3888 for comprehensive aggressive representation from the very beginning.
