Do You Need a Lawyer to Settle Your Car Accident Case?

Jun 28, 2020

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you may be wondering: should I try to go up against the insurance company on my own? Before you decide, be sure that you know what to expect.

Understanding What’s at Stake

It is important to understand the different types of damages that can be recovered by a car accident victim. The most common are:

Medical bills: Bills incurred as a result of treatment for your injuries, including those from the emergency room, a primary care doctor, a specialist, chiropractor or physical therapist
Lost wages: Reimbursement for lost income, if you were unable to work due to your injuries.
Pain and Suffering: The law recognizes that payment for medical bills and lost wages may still not make an accident victim whole. What about the activities that you used to enjoy but are no longer able to take part in because of your pain? Pain and suffering damages are meant to address the diminished quality of life that often result from your injuries.

You can be certain that the insurance company will fight you on each of the above categories of damages. They will dispute the extent of your medical treatment and argue that you should have returned to work sooner. They will try to minimize – or eliminate altogether – your recovery for pain and suffering.

The Insurance Company Has One Goal

Don’t lose sight of the fact that insurance companies are for-profit enterprises with one goal: to make money. The adjuster (the insurance company employee whose job it is to handle your claim) has been trained to pay out as little in damages as is possible. No matter how good your negotiating skills are, at some point, the insurance company will give you their “final offer,” and they will know that without an attorney, you have no choice but to accept it.

You Can Change the Balance of Power

As soon as you engage an experienced personal injury attorney, the insurance company will begin to view your claim differently. Why?

Insurance companies don’t want to be sued. When a lawsuit is filed against them, they must pay their own lawyers to defend it. As soon as you’ve engaged an attorney, the threat of a lawsuit will loom, causing the value of your claim to increase.
Your attorney will know all of the insurance company’s tricks and tactics. They fight this fight literally every day, and they know how to call the adjuster’s bluff.
Your attorney will know the law, including deadlines that, if missed, could bar your claim.
They know what motions to file and what legal arguments to make to position your case for the best outcome. They know how to prepare medical and accident experts to counter the arguments made by the insurance company.

The Insurance Industry ‘s Own Research Shows You’ll Get More With an Attorney

They may not want you to know this, but a past study by the Insurance Research Council showed that accident victims who hired attorneys to pursue their claims collected settlements that are, on average, 3.5 times larger than those who tried to resolve their claim on their own.

Call an Indiana Injury Lawyer Today to Discuss Your Case

So why settle for less when we can help you get more? Turn the tables on the insurance company by contacting the experienced Indiana car accident lawyers at Tanzillo Stassin & Babcock, P.C., to schedule a free consultation today.