The Reality of Dealing With an Insurance Company.
When you are hurt, it’s common to expect an insurance company to take care of the costs. Whether it’s your own insurance company, or the insurance company of a responsible party, the cost of your injury needs to be taken care of. After all, it’s why insurance premiums are paid.
However, the reality is that an insurance company is a business. While you might think that it makes sense for the company to make good on the fact that someone (either you or the other party) has been paying premiums, the truth is that, as a business, it’s more about the shareholders and the bottom line. Paying out on your claim doesn’t really benefit the bottom line.
Instead of assuming that the insurance company is there to help, you might have to come to understand that the insurance company might try to convince you to accept a smaller payout than you deserve.
An Attorney Shows You’re Serious
Rather than accept what might not be fair compensation considering your injuries, it makes sense to question what the insurance company is offering. Since the insurer is going to have plenty of people to help back up its effort to avoid paying as much on your claim, it only makes sense for you to have the same sort of help on your side.
An attorney can be just the person to help you. An insurance company -- and sometimes your own insurance company is just as bad -- is going to look out for its own interests. Your interests are certainly not first on the list. Your attorney, though, is going to be on your side. You can usually trust your lawyer to act in your best interest.
Not only can a personal injury lawyer protect your interests, but he or she can also show the insurer that you are serious. You are more likely to get a more agreeable settlement (and get it in a shorter period of time) if you have an attorney. The insurance company knows that your lawyer has a good understanding of what’s normal and fair in situations like yours, and that he or she will be dedicated to getting that amount. The insurance company also knows that, when you have an attorney, you are more likely to sue if a suitable and reasonable settlement isn’t offered.
Even your own insurance company is mostly concerned with its bottom-line.
Your injury lawyer can also help you work through all the paperwork. When you’ve been injured, the last thing you want to do is try to make your way through tedious insurance paperwork, and you certainly don’t want to talk to pencil pushers who are trying to pressure you into dropping your claim, or accepting much less. A lawyer can take the pressure off. He or she can be your representative with the insurer, which means that he or she can act in your name to get things done. This leaves you free to concentrate on getting better, rather than trying to wrangle with the insurance company.
Bottom Line
It’s too bad that this is the reality of dealing with insurance companies. It would be nice if you could get the compensation you deserve without all of the difficulty. However, that’s not the way things work. As a result, it often makes sense to hire a personal injury attorney if you have been hurt. That way, you don’t have to do everything yourself. You can draw on the knowledge and experience of your attorney, and that is a powerful weapon when you are trying to get justice.
