Working With Insurance Adjusters
June 9, 2011
Insurance adjusters (and defense attorneys) can some times be hard to work with. I received a response yesterday that I hadn’t had before:
One of the medical providers on the case was VERY slow on getting us their bills and medical records for one of our car accident clients. I went ahead and sent the demand letter to the insurance company about a month ago with the instruction that we would forward the records/bills from the final provider once we received them. We already had the other records and bills from the other five providers and this would give the insurance adjuster a chance to start reviewing the file (and hopefully speed of the claims process).
I talked with the adjuster yesterday about the case. I mentioned that the outstanding bills and records had finally arrived and that I was emailing her the records as we spoke.
Her response:
“Do you think that makes a difference to our settlement offer?”
They had already made a settlement offer on the claim (another low ball offer). Their offer barely covers the claimants medical bills. A bill for over $1000 should definitely change their settlement value of the claim.
How long will my auto accident mediation last?
May 20, 2011
Most car accident mediations take between 3-4 hours. Obviously, it will depend on how complicated/contested the case is as well.
If the mediation fails to get the case settled, there’s a good chance it’s going to trial.
Advancing Costs for Car Accidents & How Much the Lawsuit Will Cost
May 11, 2011
A lot of attorneys I’ve talked with will “advance the costs” of my car accident case. How much is my case going to cost to pursue?
That’s a tough question because it will depend on the details of your case. If the case doesn’t need to be filed, and the case settles before suit, the costs won’t be quite as high. If that’s the case, the main cost will likely be any money spent obtaining your medical records.
The costs will be significantly higher if your case goes to trial. You still have the costs associated with getting all of your medical records together, but they’re also litigation expenses. There’ll likely be depositions in your case. The court reporter will need to be paid, and all costs a little bit to get transcripts of the deposition. It can also be a good idea to have the deposition videotaped. When defending a car accident case, it seems like insurance companies like to argue that either you were hurt before the accident (so they’re not responsible), or if you were hurt at the accident you were not “that hurt.” They will have a doctor to testify on their behalf. It will cost money to rebut their witness because we will need to pay a doctor or doctors for their time to review your medical records and to state their opinion. We generally need to have a deposition with these doctors. The car accident case that goes to trial can easily cost $5000 in significantly more. It really depends on how many experts (doctors and medical professionals) will need to be involved with case.
Quick Car Accident Settlement
May 2, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
The other driver offered to pay me $500 immediately after the accident. My car doesn’t look that bad, so I think that will cover the damage. Should I just accept this offer and be done with it?
No! There’s no way of knowing, unless you repair cars yourself, what the damages are to your car. You also may run into problems if you’re hurt. You should call the police and report the accident.
Auto Accident Settlement: My Attorney Won’t Settle
January 10, 2011
I saw this on our Google Search Analytics (how people are getting to our site from Google).
The decision to settle rests with the client, and the client alone. Your attorney should obviously offer insight in to why he/she thinks the case is worth more and if it is advisable to settle or not. But an attorney that won’t settle the case?? That’s ridiculous if it is true. Report ‘em to your state bar association.
