When you’re hurt in a personal injury accident, you may need to make a claim through an insurance company. Whether you’re working with your own insurance company or the other party’s insurance, the thought of dealing with an insurance company can be daunting. Even though the insurance company is supposed to fairly pay your claim, they may also be motivated to pay you less than you deserve in order to pad their profit margin. Here are five tips for dealing with insurance companies:
DO Notify Them of Your Claim
Most insurance policies require you to notify the insurance company about your injuries fairly quickly after the injury occurs. It’s in your best interests to file a claim as soon as you can after you get hurt. You may not have all of the information, but it’s critical to put the insurance company on notice that you’re hurt.
DO Provide Supporting Documentation
When you’re hurt with a personal injury, gather all of the evidence that you can in order to support your claim. Pictures of your injuries and the scene where the events took place are a great start. You may need to gather evidence of your medical bills and your time off of work. Documentation is a great way to convince the insurance company to pay you what you deserve.
DON’T Refuse to Provide Follow-up Information
The insurance company is going to evaluate your claim and make a decision on whether to pay and how much to pay. When they ask for more information, provide it. If they want information like photographs of the scene and names of witnesses and you have the information, it’s important to pass it on. That helps the insurance company resolve your claim quickly.
DON’T Admit Fault
Even being partially to blame for your injuries can reduce or completely bar your recovery. Don’t admit to the insurance company that you share liability for what happened even if you just want to be nice. Instead, provide only the facts of the case. If you have a personal injury lawyer, your attorney can discuss the specifics of the case with the insurance company’s representatives.
DO Carefully Evaluate Any Settlement Offers
A settlement offer might be fair, and it may be woefully inadequate considering your losses. You should review a settlement carefully to make sure that you agree that it’s a fair way to resolve your case. An attorney from a firm like Wall Wall & Frauenhofer LLP can help you understand the types of damages that may be available to you and whether these damages are fairly represented by the settlement offer.
Dealing with the Insurance Company
When you’re hurt in a personal injury, dealing with the insurance company can be stressful. When you carefully document your case and provide information to the insurance company, you’ve done what you need to do in order to ask the insurance company for fair compensation for your injuries. You should carefully review any settlement offers to make sure that the offer fairly compensates you for your losses.
This article was written by Dixie Somers, a freelance writer who loves to write for business, finance, and family issues. She lives in Arizona with her husband and three beautiful daughters. You can find Dixie on Facebook.
