Several Important Things To Avoid When Settling A Car Accident Claim

Car accidents occur every single day and can leave people with a lot of serious injuries. Fortunately, most people have auto insurance, and this type of insurance typically covers the damages and injuries people sustain from car accidents. If you experienced injuries in this way and would like to settle with the insurance company, you may want to be cautious as you do this. If you do not handle this properly, you might lose out on some of the compensation you are entitled to. Here are several things you should avoid as you begin negotiating with the insurance company.

Admitting Fault In The Accident

If you know you were not at fault for the accident, don't let anyone talk you into taking the fault. If you do, you might lose out on some money. Let the person who caused the accident take the responsibility for it. By doing this, that person's insurance company will be responsible for paying the claim.

Agreeing To The Offer The Insurance Company Makes

The insurance company handling the claim might be eager to settle with you. If you are eager as well to get the money from the accident, you might rush into agreeing to the settlement amount the insurance company offers. Unfortunately, if you do this, you might miss out on money you deserve from the accident.

Insurance companies do not particularly like paying out claims, simply because claims cost them money. This is one reason they try to settle quickly. If you are in this position and are not sure what to do, don't handle the decision alone. Get advice from a personal injury attorney.

People in these positions do not always know their rights, and they usually do not fully understand what types of compensations they might be able to get. For example, you might understand that you are entitled to money to pay for the medical bills you incurred after the accident, but did you realize you could also receive money for pain and suffering? You might also be entitled to money for loss of income and many other things.

Even if the insurance company's offer seems fair and reasonable, it might not be including all of these things.

Signing Papers The Insurance Company Gives You

If the insurance company sends you papers that they are asking you to sign and send back, be cautious. The papers they send may be agreements, and you might not even realize what you are agreeing to. If you receive papers from them in the mail, or if they come to your home to discuss the case, do not sign any papers unless you know exactly what they are for and what they mean.

Waiting Too Long To Take Action

There is something called the statutes of limitations, and this refers to the time frame you have to file a case after a car accident occurs. This time frame varies, but it could be as short as one year. If you cannot reach a fair settlement with the insurance company, the statute of limitations becomes very important, because it gives you the time frame you have to file a lawsuit against the other person.

Car accident settlements can be confusing, especially if you have never been through this before. If you want to fully protect yourself and receive the highest amount of compensation possible, you will be much better off hiring a good personal injury lawyer to help you through your case. You can do this by calling a personal injury lawyer in your city today to set up a consultation appointment with him or her. Continue reading more about this here.


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