Insurance and Car Accidents: What You Need to Know

When a car accident happens and damage occurs, it becomes an issue of liability, with insurance companies generally covering costs associated with their liable insured drivers. For example, if you are hit by an Amazon truck that pulled a wide turn into your lane, the insurance company behind the Amazon truck will be liable for the resulting damages. 

How do you get the Amazon insurance company to pay for the damages associated with your accident? This is the first essential question to ask following your car accident, after the safety and security of everyone involved has been ensured. To begin, it is helpful to gather evidence from the scene of the accident, as videos of the vehicles before they are moved can be helpful in determining liability later on. 

Insurance Companies Conduct Accident Reconstruction Analyses to Fight Your Claim

To determine liability, you need to effectively present facts that prove that the liable party was the cause of the accident. For example, if you were rear-ended by another vehicle, their insurance company may try to assign liability to you by claiming that you stopped short. You’ll need to prove that the vehicle behind you failed to stop effectively, causing the collision. The insurance company applies their experience to avoid liability in an effort at reducing or denying as many claims as possible. 

The Insurance Company Works For Profit, Not For You

It is essential to understand that insurance companies generate revenue by collecting premiums from the parties they insure, and their primary costs are payments made to injured claimants like you. To increase profits, insurance companies will do whatever they can to avoid liability in order to reduce their costs. 

This means that the attorneys and claim analysts of the insurance company apply the full breadth and depth of their experience against you and your claim. Incomplete coverage for your damages leaves you and your family to cover the costs associated with your accident out of your own finances. This can be financially debilitating in the long-run, and can be avoided through an effective claim or case for your rightful damages. 

A complete settlement for your car accident includes coverage for your short-term medical care as well as any long-term treatments or other services you require. It also includes any lost wages during recovery, and any difference in your earnings potential due to the long-term symptoms of your injuries. In some instances, damages for pain and suffering may also be available, and your experienced Decatur car accident lawyer from Michael M. Day Law Firm, LLC will carefully review all angles of the accident to build the best possible claim on your behalf. 

Your Decatur Car Accident Attorney Handles All Communications and Negotiations with the Insurance Company 

The insurance company is not sensitive to your financial position, but your Decatur car accident attorney is. We only take cases that fit with our firm, and we only get paid if we win, out of an agreed upon percentage of the earnings we generate. Our motivation is exactly the opposite of the insurance company, in that our goal is to make the most of your settlement or case. 

Insurance Claims Process

As mentioned, the insurance company of the responsible party will generally be responsible for the damages that you are seeking in your claim. Submitting a claim to the insurance company can be a complex and confusing process, and requires that you provide sufficient evidence of all your damages, and then successfully negotiate a settlement. When a claim is improperly denied, or too low an amount is offered, taking the insurance company to court may be necessary. 

Filing an Insurance Claim

The filing of an insurance claim requires that you do the following: 

  • Identify the appropriate insurance company of the at-fault party
  • Gather evidence from medical and occupational experts, evidence from the scene, witness statements, police statements, and anything else to help prove the negligence of the opposing party 
  • Draft your claim onto the appropriate forms, including evidence in such a way that the insurance company’s lawyers will recognize its strength and offer you a fair settlement

Dealing with the Other Party’s Insurance

Your Decatur car accident lawyer handles all dealings and negotiations with the other party’s insurance company on your behalf. The insurance company has a team of attorneys working for them, and without your own working on your accident claim, it is difficult to recover a fair and complete amount.

If you have any questions about your car accident insurance process, please contact us online today. We can answer your questions and provide the guidance you need.