Nothing can truly make up for the loss of a loved one. When someone passes away through the fault of someone else, there’s no amount of money, no settlement that can be truly appropriate to compensate for that. However, as difficult as it can be, it’s important to keep in mind that your loved one would want you to have as much money in compensation as possible. They would want you to use that money to make this difficult time just a little bit easier, so that you can live just a bit more comfortably. In this blog, we’ll go over some ways that insurance companies may try to limit your wrongful death settlements. We’ll also cover how we can make sure that you get everything that you deserve.
If we’ve said it once in these blogs, we’ve said it a thousand times: the insurance company does not want to give you the money you’re owed. In fact, they’ll do anything they can to make sure that it doesn’t happen. Their entire business model is built upon the idea that they want to pay you as little as possible. If they do that, they make more money. It’s in their best financial interest to make sure that you don’t get that much money. The best thing you should do to protect your settlement is to schedule a free consultation with us. Beyond that, these are same things that the insurance company may try to pull so as to give you less money.
The grieving process is a lengthy one. Losing a loved one takes years to recover from fully. In the immediate aftermath, (which can last for several days) it’s normal, natural and human to be in shock. That’s simply an acknowledgement of life. You deserve to have time to grieve and heal. Unfortunately, that’s often when the insurance company tends to strike. They figure (and research backs them up) that when someone’s in hurt and in pain, then they’re more likely to take a settlement that’s much less than they could get. It’s normal to want something good to happen after something so terrible, so a grieving person is likely to want to take the money. This is one of the many reasons that we always tell prospective clients to never sign something until our attorneys get a chance to look at it first.
Should the insurance company call before you’ve truly looked at all of your options, it’s important to reach out to wrongful death attorneys. The insurance company doesn’t have the best interests of you or your family in mind. Indeed, they’re only focused entirely on their own money, and how much more of it they can make without giving you as much as you should get. Attorneys, on the other hand, only make money when you make money. Indeed, our business model is dependent upon getting you money. If you don’t make money, then we won’t either.
That’s the next tactic that the insurance company may avail themselves of. Again, it works on the same idea that they’re getting you to take less money than you should get. The insurance company adjuster, seemingly your best friend and the most outgoing person you’ve ever met, will come by and offer you a settlement. It may seem like a wonderful thing, lots of money at a dark time. Unfortunately, that’s not what it will be. Almost invariably, this is a “low ball” offer. Indeed, if the insurance company offers you a settlement quickly, it’s almost always much less than you could’ve gotten.
It’s important to keep in mind that the insurance company has been doing this for a long time. They’ve seen so many wrongful death cases like yours before. So, they have a very clear idea as to what your case will be worth. With that in mind, they know that if they get you to take less money than that number, they make money. Following this logic, when they make you an offer initially, it’s absolutely going to be lower than you could’ve gotten. This is one more way that they take advantage of people who are grieving, who have suffered a terrible loss.
It’s important not to take that first offer they make to you because it can lead to regret both in the moment and later on. You may be initially happy to get the money, but then it may sink in how you could’ve gotten more. As you move forward in life, the regret can become great when you encounter financial issues later on. This settlement should protect both you and your family. When you ensure that your settlement is as big as it could be, you do right by them. We can help you to make sure you get as much as you deserve from your settlement.
Just like the insurance company, we’ve been doing this for a long time, too. When you bring your wrongful death case to us, we can tell you in very clear detail exactly what we think your case is worth. Unlike the insurance company, we can work for it so that you get as much of that as possible. We won’t settle for less. Indeed, we’ve taken on insurance companies many times. We know all of the tactics that they tend to use to limit your settlement. As we can see those coming, we can head them off. It’s all done with the ultimate goal in mind: ensuring that you get as much as possible for the wrongful death that you’ve had to go through.
We’re always glad to keep in constant communication with our clients during their case. You’ve had to go through so much; you deserve to know how your case is going every step of the way. Some law firms may just take the first offer the other side puts on the table and then tell their clients: “this is the best we could do.” We would never do something like that. By letting you know how your case is going, we feel that you can make the best decisions for your case. Of course, we also are your attorneys and handle the case for you. You can have the peace of mind that comes from knowing professionals are handling your case. That way, you can focus on what’s truly important: grieving and healing.
It’s important to note that when we say “file a wrongful death suit,” we can file for many different kinds of compensation. You could be entitled to funeral costs. After all, if not for the wrongful passing of a loved one, then you wouldn’t have had to pay for any funeral. You can also be compensated for the loss of earnings they would have had in the future. All the pain and suffering that you’ve had to go through is something that you can be compensated for, too. Those are just a few of the kinds of damages that you can get compensated for; there are many more.
The pain of losing a loved one never really goes away. In time, it can be less difficult. When their passing was the fault of someone else, part of the healing process can be receiving compensation for it. This money can help you as you move forward. Making sure you get as much money as possible for what you’ve been through is something your loved one would want. Here at the LA Injury Group, we know how difficult this can be. That’s why we make it easy to schedule a free consultation. All you have to do is give us a call at (818) 240-1800 or go to our site.