What to Do If an Insurance Company Lowballs Your Injury Settlement
When you’re injured in Southern California, there’s a good chance that an insurance company will be part of your claim. While your claim may be against the person who actually caused your injury, compensation is generally paid out by an insurance company. This means that you have to navigate the complexities of negotiating with insurance companies, and they’re very good at paying less than victims deserve. This is why talking to a personal injury lawyer is so important.
At DeWitt, Algorri & Algorri, LLP, we’ve seen firsthand how far insurance companies will go to ensure that they don’t pay the full value of a settlement. For decades, attorneys Ernest P. and Mark S. Algorri have fought to give clients a fair chance at compensation. Find out how we can help you by calling us at 855-WINNING (946-6464).
What is a Lowball Offer?
Lowball offers include any offer that is significantly less than what your claim is actually worth. The value of your claim is determined by a number of factors, including your actual financial losses, the prognosis for your injuries, how your injury affects your ability to work, and how much pain is caused by your injuries. Unfortunately, many victims don’t realize an offer is a lowball offer until they have already accepted it and signed the paperwork. At that point, though, it’s too late to go back and negotiate for more.
Assessing Your Situation
It is crucial to work with a personal injury attorney to thoroughly assess your injury and legal situation before you consider accepting any sort of offer. People may think an offer sounds great, but that’s often because they’re only considering a small portion of their accident-related losses. For example, you may look at a number and think of your current medical bills—but you forget to consider your time away from work, totaled vehicle, and pain and suffering. Working with a personal injury law firm ensures that you account for every aspect of your injury and the compensation you are owed as a result of it.
Bringing in an Attorney
Working with a personal injury attorney can help you navigate your case and your settlement options. This is particularly important when you consider how good insurance companies are at underpaying victims. Remember that their end goal is to make as much money as possible, even when that comes at the expense of victims’ wellbeing. Many people don’t realize they’ve been manipulated until they’ve done devastating harm to their personal injury claim. Insurance adjusters may try to coerce you into accepting fault for the accident, downplaying your injuries, or admitting to pre-existing conditions that don’t even have any relevance to your current injury.
An attorney protects your case from the very beginning. A personal injury law firm can take her communication with the at-fault party’s insurance company, and insurance adjusters have a much harder time manipulating attorneys than accident victims.
Your personal injury lawyer can also get a thorough understanding of your injuries and their true value, which puts you in a stronger position for negotiations. Once they know how much your claim is worth, they can build a case that allows them to fight for that amount—either during negotiations or in court.
Documenting Your Claim
The more evidence you have to support your claim, the stronger it will be—and the harder it will be for the insurance company to deny you fair compensation. This is another reason you should bring in a lawyer as soon as possible. A lot of injury-related evidence degrades with time, and securing it early ensures that you can use it in your legal claim. The evidence you need depends largely on what type of accident you were involved in. For example, in a car accident, you might take photos and videos of the crash scene, get a copy of the police report, and talk to eyewitnesses. If you suffered a slip and fall, you may take pictures of the hazard that caused you to fall, secure a copy of the accident report, and get copies of your medical records.
Reach Out to DeWitt Algorri & Algorri
Whenever you’re ready to move forward with your claim, the DeWitt, Algorri & Algorri, LLP team is ready to get started. Claim your consultation now by contacting us online or calling us at 855-WINNING (946-6464).
Mark Algorri has successfully represented individuals and their families in matters involving serious and catastrophic injuries, insurance claims denials, and wrongful deaths, achieving a success rate of 99 percent for our clients.
