When you’re going through the aftermath of a car accident, if you’re like most people, you’ll latch on to every positive thought you can. A vehicular accident is a terrible, potentially life changing thing. It’s difficult to be the same person after a car accident. When you’re hurt, it’s normal to grasp onto something positive. For a lot of people, they believe the insurance company is going to be there for them after an accident. That the insurance company will give them the money they’re owed; do so quickly, in a prompt and efficient manner. Unfortunately, our car accident lawyer in Los Angeles has to say that’s rarely the case.
You pay insurance so that, when you’re hurt, the insurance company will pay you the money you’re owed for the accident. That’s the way it’s supposed to work. Alas, it rarely works that way. You pay the insurance company, and then when you’re supposed to get it, the insurance company is to pay you. However, that’s not how the insurance company makes money. They make money when they don’t pay you what you’re owed. Then, they get your money… and they don’t have to pay it back. On a cold, Machiavellian level, you can see how this business model would work.
To that end, the insurance company will engage in a series of tactics to make sure that they don’t have to pay you that money. Some of them are more mischievous than others. Each of them have the same goal: making sure you aren’t given all the money that you deserve for having been through a car accident. That’s why it’s so important that you hire a car accident lawyer in Los Angeles as soon as possible. The earlier you hire an attorney after your accident, the sooner we can get to work on your case so that you do get the money you’re owed.
One thing our car accident attorney team has noticed is that some people don’t seem to realize how much money they deserve for having been through an accident. They believe that just because they suffered “a few” injuries, or only missed “a couple days” of work, they aren’t entitled to damages and compensation. That’s not the case, however. If you’ve been through an accident, you do deserve money for everything you’ve been through. You’ve been hurt. You have suffered. So have the people in your life that love you, that have been there for you. You all deserve to get the money you’re owed for what you’ve had to deal with. That’s’ where we come in.
An early tactic the insurance company will probably try is sending someone to talk to you. This person is typically called “an adjuster,” but no matter what they’re called, they are a representative of the insurance company. They only want to talk to you so that they can find a way to get you to take less money for your accident claim. That’s it. That is literally all they’re talking to you for. There is no other, more benign or friendly reason. Great rule to keep in mind: when you talk to a person who works for the insurance company, think of it like you’re talking to the insurance company itself. Whoever you talk to, they’re just the insurance company as a person.
That’s not always easy, because when the insurance company sends someone to talk to you; they will probably send the friendliest, nicest person on their payroll. They will send a great person to talk to, someone personable that you will want to talk for hours. This person will probably be an incredible conversationalist that will make you feel special, like you’re the only person in the room. They’ll make you feel great, and moreover, they’ll do so at a moment when you’re probably feeling low, hurt and vulnerable. With all of that being said, remember: this person does not have your best interests at heart.
This person the insurance company sends to talk to you gets paid when you don’t. Their whole job, beneath the friendly veneer, is to make sure you and the people you care about get less money. That’s all they’re really there to do. No matter how many kind phone calls you get about “hey, how are you doing” and “good luck with your recovery today, was just thinking about you,” the underlying motive for all of that is to give you less money than you’re actually owed. Everything they do is on behalf of the insurance company, for their betterment. A car accident lawyer in Los Angeles from the LA Injury Group is there for yours.
Here at the LA Injury Group, a car accident lawyer in Los Angeles doesn’t get paid until you do. That’s the exact opposite of the business model of the insurance company. A great example of the difference between an attorney and an employee of the insurance company is in the note taking. We take notes when you speak so that we can best help you make a compelling case. They take notes on what you say so that they can use what you say against you. They do that whether they’re going to use it against you now or later on in the case.
Consider: an adjuster (or whatever they happen to call themselves when they speak to you) from the insurance company will probably ask you if they could record a conversation with you. If you say yes, they’ll probably ask you about your injuries. You’re an honest person, but you’re probably not a doctor. (If you are a doctor, you probably aren’t a doctor in the specific kinds of injuries that you may have suffered after having been in a car accident.) So, if you say something like “I was hurt badly,” or “I wasn’t hurt at all,” they’ll use it against you.
The way they do is pretty simple: if you say you were hurt badly, they’ll look at how you’ve recovered, whether in the near future or later on in the case, and say you weren’t hurt as bad as you say you were. If you say you aren’t hurt badly, but then develop subsequent injuries, they’ll say that you’re lying now but were telling the truth then. As with many rigged games, the best solution is not to play. That’s why every member of our car accident lawyer in Los Angeles team strongly suggests saying “no” when someone from the insurance company asks if they can record you.
While we’re making strong suggestions, our car accident lawyer in Los Angeles team also says you should always show us anything the insurance company gives you before you sign it. That’s just doing your due diligence to protect your potential compensation. For example, often right after an accident, the insurance company adjuster will make you an offer. It can feel like an absolute blessing, as you’re given money (potentially a lot of money) right when you have a lot of mounting bills. On top of that, you’ll also probably be feeling low and hurt after an accident, so it can seem like a great thing.
However, that first offer from the insurance company is almost always an insultingly “low ball” offer. They want to pay you off as quickly as possible, so as to keep from having to give you all of the money that your claim is actually worth. Don’t do that to you or your family. Schedule a free consultation with us by calling us at (818) 240-1800 or going to our website, and we’ll help you to fight back against the insurance company for what you’re actually owed.