Fort Worth Injury Attorney Blog
Imagine this: you are at your kitchen table, trying to figure out how you are going to pay your medical bills, the doorbell rings, and it is the insurance adjuster at the door. The adjuster has a settlement check, or a tape recorder ready to tape your recorded statement. What do you do? There are four reasons why you need an attorney to handle your claim.
1. The insurance companies are experts at what they do:
The insurance companies are in the business of negotiating claims. They have a team of adjusters, investigators, doctors and lawyers who are all working together to achieve one goal: to pay you as little as possible. Remember, the insurance company is under no legal obligation to inform you of your legal rights. Insurance companies frequently make inaccurate statements regarding your rights without being subject to any legal or financial penalties.
2. The insurance company knows how to collect the evidence to favor at the courthouse.
The insurance company will take photos of your injuries, the accident scene, and car damage if you’ve been in an accident. The photos will be taken in a manner to distort the facts regarding how the accident happened to affect the value of your case. They may take statements from witnesses with leading questions to gain favorable testimony for the negligent party. They may hire investigators to perform video surveillance, seek your medical records, talk to your doctors, employer and even your neighbors to find reasons to reduce the value of your claim.
3. Your recorded statement can easily be used against you.
Do not give a recorded statement unless you’ve been prepared by your lawyer. Any statement you make to an insurance company can and will be used in court to minimize your recovery. Insurance adjusters are trained to take advantage of the fact that most claimants have no knowledge regarding negligence comparative fault, mitigating damages and the slew of other defenses that insurance companies use to reduce or deny paying your claim. Adjusters will ask you leading questions in their statements that are designed to trick a trusting claimant which always damages their claim. We will not agree to present for a recorded statement unless it helps your case, and only after we have thoroughly prepared you for your statement
4. The insurance company does not pay their adjuster a bonus for paying you a fair settlement.
Adjusters are trained regarding the value of an injury claim. The value of your case is what a jury would award you for your damages considering all the evidence. Without a lawyer you would have to collect all the evidence, know how to properly present all the evidence to the insurance company and know what the value of your case is at the courthouse. Insurance companies pay based on risk; what risk do they face against an unrepresented victim who has no ability to take his case to the court house? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by calling my office. The consultation is free and completely confidential. Moreover, attorney fees are entirely contingent upon your recovery. No recovery, no attorney fees. Call my office today so we can start working on your case to preserve the evidence so you can get a fair settlement.