Insurance companies are not your friend in an accident. Never volunteer information to an adjuster without first talking to an Arkansas injury lawyer.
Although you may be conscientious and pay all of your car insurance every year, drive carefully and safely and have a stellar driving record. If you are in an accident, even if it was not your fault, you have no friends at the insurance company. The hard truth is that an insurance company is a business and any business that wants to stay in operation and make money, not hand it out to people who get into accidents.
Most, if not all, insurance adjusters will kick into “minimize” mode the minute you report your accident and any injuries you may have sustained. Why do they do that? Insurance companies need to keep their bottom line profitable. If they paid out full dollars to victims, based on what they truly deserve, they would go broke. To that end, once the adjuster knows you have been injured, they try to make it sound less serious than may actually be the case.
Don’t be surprised when the insurance company tries to get you to settle fast and low. Expect them to put words in your mouth about your accident and how it happened, no matter what you say. They are masters at coming up with things to throw you off guard and make you say things that could be used against you later. For this reason, seriously consider not speaking to the adjuster until you have consulted with a lawyer.
Think that might be overreacting? Consider this. You were in a car wreck that involved six vehicles and four of them were totaled, including yours. What if there was one person deemed at fault for the whole event? What if that person didn’t have enough insurance to pay for the carnage and your insurance had to pay the bill?
Let’s say you lost a lot of time off work and your medical bills were close to $59,000 and your research indicates you should be entitled to about two times the amount for pain and suffering and money for your medical bills. Let’s also say the insurance company flatly tells you that you will only get a one-time settlement offer despite your horrific injuries, astronomical medical bills and totaled car.
If you went with the insurance company’s one-time settlement, you would be short changed out of a lot of money. If you sign anything in addition to taking their offer, you will not be able to sue later if your injuries get worse. This is one of the major reasons you need to talk to a seasoned Arkansas injury lawyer, because if you want justice, want what is fair, want what you deserve, you need a lawyer representing you. No one else will look out for your rights, not when money is involved.
Michael G. Smith is anArkansas personal injury lawyer and Arkansas business dispute lawyer, practicing personal injury law and veteran’s benefits in Arkansas. Learn more by visiting Arkansaslawhelp.com.
