After you’ve sustained an injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may need to seek compensation to pay for your medical bills, missed time at work and other damages you’ve suffered. In most cases, you would do this by filing a claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company.
Insurance claims adjusters are often nice, friendly people. However, it’s important to remember that their job is to minimize the amount of money the insurer must pay out after an accident. They will almost always offer you less than what you deserve and may try to resolve the claim before you can consult an attorney. To that end, it’s important to put the brakes on any negotiation until you’ve spoken with a legal professional and have a better idea of what your claim is worth.
The role of your attorney
An experienced personal injury attorney will negotiate your claim, starting with your demand letter, which will ask for a higher amount of compensation than you really want or need. The insurance adjuster will respond, likely by challenging some of the arguments made in the letter. Your attorney and the adjuster may go back and forth a few times before settling on a fair number.
In rare cases, injured parties and insurance companies cannot come to an agreement on a settlement. If that happens, you may need to take the case to court. This is not ideal for either side, and so both will work to come to an agreement without resorting to litigation whenever possible.
If you would like to learn more about your options for seeking compensation after an accident, work with a skilled Bradenton personal injury attorney at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez, Murphy & Walsh.