Call (800) 863-5312 to Speak with a Phoenix Car Accident Lawyer for Free After a car accident, there are a lot of steps to take and formalities to follow. If you have never been through the process before, it can be overwhelming and you might not understand exactly what is required of you. The other …
Call (800) 863-5312 to Speak with a San Antonio Car Accident Attorney for Free Progressive Insurance has been in the American market since 1937 and is a well-known and popular business today. The company’s TV commercials are easily recognizable, and they’re intended to make the general public believe buying insurance is easy. However friendly you …
Most insurance companies operate in the same fashion in terms of filing a claim. Once you have reported the accident and Progressive is made aware the claim exists, they will use their claim adjusters to determine the value of your claim and what share Progressive is responsible for paying you.
Progressive is a for-profit business, and its claim adjusters share the same interest as the company it works for: to keep settlement costs as low as possible.
As a popular insurance company, settling claims is an integral function of the company, and something they have more experience and expertise in than the individual filing a claim. Therefore, it is important to not only keep their superior experience in mind, but to also understand how to negotiate a fair claim to compensate you for your injuries.
In general, the first offer you receive from Progressive will be much lower than what you are fairly entitled to receive. If you choose to negotiate the claim without the assistance of an injury attorney, you should know what specifically you can recover damages for besides only the medical bills associated with the injury. In most states, you can recover damages for:
You should gather any evidence you have and submit all documents to the claim adjuster. These documents will show Progressive specificities of your suffering and give the company incentive to increase their settlement offer.
Personal injury lawyers work on contingency, meaning they are only paid if they win your case. Progressive will try to settle your claim early and in the least costly manner possible. With the help of an auto accident lawyer, filing a lawsuit can force Progressive to face the possibility of damages being assessed by a jury for much higher than their settlement offer, and will likely result in a much higher settlement offer.
Consulting with a San Antonio car accident attorney before entering settlement discussions will help you to understand the nuances of your claim, and hiring an attorney can help you establish your damages. With the help of an attorney, you are more likely to be fairly compensated for your injury and ease your suffering.
At Zinda Law Group, our car accident attorneys have helped thousands of injury victims take on the insurance companies and seek maximum compensation for medical bills, property damage, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages stemming from their auto accident.
Call Zinda Law Group today at (800) 863-5312 for a 100% free consultation with one of our skilled San Antonio personal injury lawyers. Meetings with attorneys by appointment only.
Call (800) 863-5312 for Your Free Consultation Do not be fooled by television advertisements with friendly looking spokespeople and helpful-sounding jingles: your auto and health insurance providers, like all insurance companies, are in business to make money. An insurance company that pays out more in benefits than it takes in through premiums will soon find …
CALL (888) 281-6991 TO SPEAK TO A CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER FOR FREE TODAY GEICO Insurance covers millions of motorists across the United States, and if you’re in a car accident in Phoenix, there is a good chance the other driver will be covered by GEICO. If that driver was at fault for the accident, you will have …
CALL (800) 863-5312 TO SPEAK WITH AN EL PASO PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY FOR FREE When injured in an accident, it’s common for an insurance policyholder to file a claim with their insurer to seek compensation for their injuries. In an ideal world, policyholders would always recover a fair settlement amount from their provider. However, while …
In the event the insurance company denies coverage for your injuries, keep in mind that this doesn’t mean you don’t deserve coverage. If your insurance company denies your claim, you may file a lawsuit for breach of contract or bring an action for bad faith. Specifically, a breach of contract claim is brought when an insurance company fails to make payouts it is obligated to make under a binding contract signed by both the insurance company and the policyholder. A bad faith claim is made when an insurance company wrongfully denies coverage by claiming that an event is not qualified for coverage under the insurance policy. Bad faith cases often involve debates over legal semantics in the policy, so it’s important to have an experienced personal injury lawyer on your side.
Insurance companies deny claims for a variety of reasons; some reasons are valid, while others are not. Some of the more common reasons insurance companies deny claims include:
Your insurance company may argue that your claim isn’t covered by your policy. Examine your policy’s exclusions section to better understand what’s not covered. Keep in mind that ambiguities in the policy are judged in favor of the policyholder, not the insurer.
Your insurance company may deny your claim if you are unable to prove that your injuries were a result of the accident. An immediate doctor’s visit often serves as proof that your injuries occurred at the same time as the accident.
Your insurance company may also try to deny your claim if you suffer from a pre-existing condition. It may argue that your condition caused your injury rather than the accident. For example, if you have a pre-existing neck injury but you suffered additional or new injuries to your neck because of the accident, the company may deny your claim and argue that your new injuries did not result from the accident.
Your insurance company may set time limits for notifying the company of your claim. Check your policy to see what the requirements are for notifying the insurance company of a claim. Some timelines may be as short as 24 hours.
Remember that an insurer might offer many justifications, often with confusing insurance policy jargon, to disguise the fact that they just don’t want to pay for the claim.
Insurance companies are businesses and operate as such. While insurance companies may claim to have your best interest in mind, your insurance company may still try and award you with as little compensation as possible.
Insurance adjustors are aware that the more of a financial bind you’re in, the more likely it’ll be for you to accept a low, but immediate payment on your claim, as opposed to waiting for a higher settlement. Even if you tell the insurance adjustor the minimum amount you’re willing to settle for, you may still be offered less.
Below are some tips that may help you negotiate with an insurance adjustor:
Take as many photographs as possible of the accident scene, including any visible injuries you may have. In some instances, an insurance adjustor may not visit you until days after the accident, which could provide time for your wounds to heal and any property damage to be repaired. Photographing and documenting evidence immediately after an accident may assist you in proving the severity of the accident and help you negotiate a more appropriate settlement amount.
Once you have understood the scope of your losses, you should use this information to determine a settlement amount that could adequately cover your damages. Be sure to make an added effort to describe and calculate all the damages you suffered due to the accident. This may include medical bills, treatment costs, pain and suffering, and loss of wages.
It may be helpful to write down the details of the accident to keep your story straight when negotiating with an insurance adjuster. The insurance company may attempt to have you change your story of how the accident occurred or claim that you were responsible for your injuries as a way to justify paying you a lower settlement amount. It may also help to emphasize any emotional points that support your claim. For example, if your injury has interfered with caring for your family, mention how your family has suffered as a result of the accident. While there is no definite way to place a dollar value on pain and suffering, describing these types of damages to an adjuster may help the insurance company make a fair settlement offer.
While you may expect your initial settlement offer to be turned down, you should not feel obligated to accept the insurance company’s counteroffer if it’s too low. This tactic is common amongst insurance adjusters to determine how much you may fight against their offer and whether the claim may be settled quickly. It is highly recommended that you ask your insurance adjuster to justify their offered settlement amount.
Remember that insurance adjusters are people too, which means that they probably won’t respond well to aggression or threats. Even if you have to work with a difficult insurance adjuster, stay calm and don’t let your emotions get the best of you. Your job is to show the insurance adjustor that your claim is a valid one and that you believe in the facts you have presented. If you can show the adjuster that you are making a good faith claim, you may be offered a fair settlement offer in return.
Although these tips may help you seek a fair settlement amount for your damages, the assistance from an experienced El Paso attorney who knows how to negotiate an injury claim is crucial to helping you seek a favorable outcome for your case.
Insurance companies know that many accident victims are unaware of how much their claim may be worth. Because of this, insurance companies typically offer unrepresented victims a settlement that is lower than the actual value of their claim in the hopes that a victim may take the offer and forfeit their right to a legal claim.
It’s important to contact an attorney before accepting a settlement amount from the insurance company. An experienced personal injury attorney may calculate the value of your case, which an attorney may use in negotiating with the insurance company.
In addition to your financial costs, a settlement may cover pain and suffering resulting from the accident. Generally, there are two methods commonly used to calculate damages for pain and suffering: the per diem method and the multiple method. The per diem method calculates the dollar amount the victim makes in a day multiplied by the number of days the victim continues to suffer after the car accident. The multiple method is more commonly used and is made by totaling the victim’s economic damages and applying a multiple from 1 to 5.
Learn More: Why Hiring a Lawyer Will Help Your Case
If you are unable to reach an agreement with the insurance company, you may want to file a lawsuit to seek compensation for your injuries. The statute of limitations provides a deadline by which an accident victim must file a lawsuit.
Once this deadline passes, the victim is barred from bringing their legal claim in court, so a victim shouldn’t wait too long while negotiating with the insurance company. Negotiating with the insurance company is not enough to beat or extend the time limit. Filing your summons and complaint in the right Texas court of law is how you’ll meet the statute of limitations. In Texas, the statute of limitations for most personal injury claims is two years.
At Zinda Law Group, our personal injury lawyers have the experience and knowledge that has helped injured victims seek compensation from their insurance companies after suffering an injury from an accident.
If you or a loved one is unsure how to negotiate their injury claim with the insurance company after suffering injuries from an accident, call Zinda Law Group at (800) 863-5312 for a 100% free case evaluation with our El Paso personal injury attorneys.
Meetings with attorneys by appointment only.
Negotiating a claim with State Farm Insurance can be a frustrating experience. State Farm (which is the parent company for a number of insurance and financial companies) was recently ranked 44th out of U.S. companies by revenue. In recent years, there have been accusations that State Farm and its insurance companies have unfairly denied claims …
Call (800) 863-5312 to Speak with Austin Car Accident Lawyers for Free In the United States, Travelers Insurance is the second largest writer of commercial casualty insurance policies and the third largest writer of personal insurance policies. Although headquartered in New York City, the company has field offices staffed with independent agents and brokers in …
Call (800) 863-5312 for Your Free Consultation Liberty Mutual is a mutual insurance company in the United States, meaning that its policyholders who hold insurance contracts are considered shareholders of the company. The second-largest property and casualty insurer in the United States, Liberty Mutual employs more than 50,000 individuals and has locations across the nation, …
If you’ve been injured in an accident, you may be required to file a claim for compensation with Liberty Mutual Insurance. A claims adjuster from Liberty Mutual will then be assigned to your case and be responsible for attempting to settle your claim. The adjuster’s job is to attempt to successfully settle your claim with Liberty Mutual Insurance, while paying you as little as possible. This can result in you being paid far less than what you actually need for your medical expenses, property damage, lost wages, and other losses you experienced.
It is possible to negotiate a fair settlement with Liberty Mutual Insurance, with or without the assistance of a personal injury attorney. However, some have reported that Liberty Mutual Insurance is more stubborn than some other insurers and may not be as willing to settle. Nevertheless, the following tips can help you in your negotiations with your Liberty Mutual Insurance adjuster:
1. Know what your claim is worth: As much as possible, quantify your claim. This requires you to add up the expenses you have already incurred, such as medical bills and lost wages; the expenses you expect to need in the future, such as continuing medical care or lost earnings in the future; and other damages that may be hard to quantify, like physical pain and suffering. If you are uncertain as to an amount, err on the side of overestimating the loss, as you can always adjust the figure downward if necessary. Communicate this figure to the adjuster in a letter.
2. Expect your initial settlement figure to be rejected: In most cases, Liberty Mutual Insurance adjusters will reject your initial settlement offer. Do not get discouraged and do not assume that this is a reflection on the strength of your claim. Remember that your adjuster works for Liberty Mutual and is attempting to settle your claim for as little as possible.
3. Do not jump at the first offer: Your adjuster may counter your initial settlement offer with what may appear to be a ridiculously low offer. View this as a test: your adjuster is attempting to see if you know what you are doing or if you are not willing to negotiate. If your adjuster makes such an offer, ask them to describe how they arrived at that figure.
4. Highlight facts and circumstances that are in your favor: Your insurance adjuster likely knows the basic facts of your case. What they may not know is the extent of your pain or how your injury has impacted your life. Highlight these aspects of your claim. When a person can no longer care for their children or provide for their family due to injuries resulting from an accident, they will receive more sympathy from a judge and jury at trial, making it more likely that Liberty Mutual will settle on your terms.
At Zinda Law Group, we know that a personal injury incident can be devastating. The last thing you might want to do is negotiate with an insurance adjuster who is trying to get you to settle for less than you deserve under the law.
We have negotiated settlements on behalf of our clients with Liberty Mutual Insurance in the past and can help you settle your claim so you can get the compensation you need. If a settlement cannot be reached that is in your best interest, we can help advise you of the next steps.
We will help you seek compensation after your injury incident, whether it is through a settlement with Liberty Mutual or a lawsuit. Call us today at (800) 863-5312 for a 100% free case evaluation with one of our San Antonio personal injury lawyers.
Meetings with attorneys by appointment only.
CALL (888) 449-1160 TO SPEAK WITH ONE OF OUR ZINDA LAW GROUP ATTORNEYS TODAY Most of the time if you file a claim with your insurance after an accident and the company denies your claim, even though you have full coverage, it has to do with who is at fault. Insurance companies do usually pay when …
Do I Need to Provide a Third Party Insurance Company with My Personal Information? This insurance is purchased by the insured from an insurance carrier for protection against the claims of a third party. If you purchase insurance coverage in Austin you will need to provide the carrier with some personal information. This information is …
The most common personal injury claims involve auto accidents and driving related injuries. The heavy traffic on the streets of Austin is one of the main causes for the increasing incidents of these injuries.
Workplace injuries and workers’ compensation cases are also quite common. These types of cases are generally caused by negligence. That party can be a co-worker, supervisor, employee, another party at the workplace, or even the injured plaintiff.
This type of case occurs when a person has been exposed in the work environment to a substance or chemical that is causing health problems. The cases are usually related to work involving asbestos exposure.
These cases can occur anywhere. The locations are usually stores, malls, and retail establishments. These cases are often complicated and not as routine as may be assumed. It is extremely important to obtain an incident report before leaving the scene, and to get legal assistance in bringing this type of injury claim.
Accidents leading to the death of a party unfortunately happen more than generally assumed. An example might be an automobile or boating accident, or the collapse of a facility like a building or a stage in a recreational venue, or an injury related to a sporting or recreational event like skydiving, or hang-gliding.
When you enroll for coverage, the insurance carrier will request you to provide them with certain personal information. This information will be used when you purchase an insurance policy so they can establish you as a policyholder. One reason for this need is to identify and disqualify any applicants with a history of frequent insurance claims, which are often spurious in nature. The insurance carrier shall maintain the privacy of each customer and protect the customer’s personal information.
The requested personal information usually includes:
North Austin Office:
8834
N. Capital
of Texas
Highway
Suite 304
Austin, TX 78759
Phone: 512-877-5658
Houston Office:
1700
Post Oak
Boulevard 2 BLVD
Place
Suite 600
Houston, TX 77056
Phone: 832-753-6578
