Being injured as a result of another party’s negligence is stressful and life-altering. It can threaten your livelihood and family’s status in life. Attaining fair compensation to “make you whole” and repay the costs associated with your injury is often as stressful as the injury itself.
If you are trying to attain your compensation through an insurance company without the help of an experienced attorney, you are likely discovering a multitude of obstacles that the insurance companies routinely place in claimants’ paths to frustrate their attempt to attain fair compensation. Always keep in mind that the insurance company opposing you is not in the business of helping you; in fact, it is in the business of paying out as little as possible to you. The following are the most common obstacles injured parties encounter:
“Low Ball Offers” or “Go Away Money” Offered to Those Without a Lawyer
Insurance companies will try to scare you into not hiring counsel by saying that they will take a huge percentage of your settlement or slow down payment to you. Obviously, insurance companies have tremendous self-interest in making those sorts of claims. In fact, when an insurance company knows that you are unrepresented, they often give you far lower settlement offers than you would receive otherwise. They have two reasons to this. First, you have little understanding of what your case is worth, as you are inexperienced. Second, they want you to sign a release and “go away” prior to getting the sort of legal advice that would dissuade you from taking these low dollar offers.
The Dilemma Posed By a “Small Case”
Not all claims are for millions of dollars or involve complex or extreme injuries. This may be your first claim, but it is the insurance company’s thousandth. If you have a “small claim,” insurance companies automatically know that they have an advantage. Specifically, they know that it is not financially worthwhile for you to hire an attorney, as the cost of your counsel’s work to attain fair compensation often exceeds the compensation itself. As a result, insurance companies routinely offer low financial offers in these cases, as they know that a person coming to them will often accept the low amount rather than pay more for counsel to help them attain more.
Talking Yourself into a Corner
If a third party injures you, his or her insurance company will likely contact you soon after. These calls intentionally seek to lock you into certain statements about the severity of your injury—or lack thereof—before you fully feel your injuries’ effects. You can also inadvertently accept partial blame by responding positively to the insurance company representative’s leading questions.
We are all are of “Miranda Rights” from watching television; the police must read someone their “Miranda Warning” prior to interrogating them in a criminal case. The “Miranda Warning” starts by saying, “You have the right to remain silent.” The problem with the insurance company representative’s contact with you is that they do not give you this sort of warning. In fact, they want you to talk so that those statements can be used against you in your subsequent claim for compensation.
It is not possible for you to understand all of your injuries soon after you are injured. In fact, many serious injuries take years to develop. Similarly, until a thorough investigation is conducted by an attorney, it is unlikely that you fully understand what caused the negligence that harmed you.
Statements made early on in a case will come back to haunt you later, once you have realized the full extent of your injuries or have more information suggesting the incident’s true cause. Rather than speak to anyone about the matter, remember that you should remain silent to avoid boxing yourself in later.
What Should You Do if You or a Loved One is Injured?
If you or a loved one has been injured, receiving the compensation you are due will require consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney. Trying to settle the case on your own will lead to frustration and a settlement that is a fraction of what you deserve.
Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi personal injury law firm, to represent you if a loved one has been injured or killed
Barrett Law has the experience to take on insurance companies’ defense counsel. Contact our seasoned Mississippi Personal Injury Lawyer now at (800) 707-9577 to get experienced counsel on your side.
