Most car accident cases do not end up in court. Instead, they are typically resolved when the at-fault party’s insurance company enters into a settlement agreement with the victim. These agreements typically involve the victim agreeing to release the other party from liability in return for a lump sum payment.
The reason that cases are resolved this way is that liability is not often a contested issue. In other words, the cause of the accident was so clear as to make it more economically viable to settle the case out-of-court than to defend it. If you’ve found yourself in this situation, it is highly likely that an insurance company has contacted you and started the process of settling your claim—including asking you for documentation regarding your medical expenses, repair bills, and other accident-related costs.
If the insurance company is willing to pay, then why do you need to hire a lawyer? Because the insurance company is actively trying to minimize the amount they pay out and does not have your best interests in mind.
Insurance companies are most concerned with their bottom line, and they protect it by trying to minimize their payout on every claim they receive. They do this in various ways, including making unreasonably low initial offers, requesting overly broad medical authorizations in order to find any evidence that may justify calling an injury a pre-existing condition, requesting non-compulsory recorded statements in an effort to get victims to make statements that indicate that they were at fault, or taking an unreasonable amount of time to settle a claim, knowing that the victim desperately needs the money.
How a Lawyer Can Help
Fortunately, an experienced car accident can hold insurance companies accountable and make sure that you are treated fairly. First of all, when an accident victim is represented by an attorney, it makes the threat of litigation much more real. This simple fact means that the insurance company is much less likely to drag its feet in processing a claim. In addition, victims are often unsure as to how to calculate and establish their non-economic damages (pain and suffering, for example) to the insurance company. As a result, they are often unsure as to how much their claim is actually worth. An experienced car accident attorney, on the other hand, will gather evidence of all of your losses and make sure that any settlement you accept adequately compensates you for your losses.
Call Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC Today to Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a Duluth Car Accident Attorney
If you’ve been hurt in a car accident, you may be legally entitled to significant compensation under Georgia law. The sad trust, however, is that insurance companies often make it extremely difficult for injured victims to get the compensation they need and deserve. As a former insurance defense attorney himself, David Brauns knows the tactics that insurance companies use to minimize payouts and will not hesitate to take a case to court. To schedule a free consultation with Mr. Brauns, call our office today at 404-418-8244 or contact us online.
