Have you had a car or truck wreck in West Mobile, Mobile/Baldwin Counties, or anywhere in Alabama?
Let me be blunt. The insurance company that you expect to pay your medical bills and fix your vehicle is not your friend. It is a finely crafted machine designed to pay you as little as possible. The agents and investigators have specific training to reduce how much the insurance company must put out.
From my decades of experience helping hurt Alabamians, let me tell you some tricks they might use. Plus, why getting an attorney early may be your best defense.
The insurance company knows you are confused.
You have just been in a major accident, so of course, you are not functioning at your best. But don’t let an insurance investigator push you around or put words in your mouth. These folk are trained to get you to admit fault, and in Alabama, if you are even 1% at fault, you will collect nothing. Here is an example of what an investigator might ask: You don’t actually know how fast you were going, do you? Your answer could be that 1% of the blame the insurance company is looking for.
The first offer is almost always too low.
That first offer might sound pretty good. However, if it doesn’t cover your medical bills, future medical bills, and vehicle repairs, you will be on the hook for the balance. Know this: If you accept that first offer, you will never get one penny more.
Don’t give them all your medical records.
If you sign a medical release without talking to a lawyer, you might be permitting the insurance company to go into your entire medical history. With that information, they could claim your injuries are because of some condition that happened years ago.
Don’t give a written or recorded statement.
Some adjustors will try to convince you that these statements about what happened are routine. However, it can easily damage your case. Let your attorney guide you. I often tell adjusters that I will allow a statement when they allow us to record an interview with the guy who hit you. They never willingly allow that. Tell you anything?
They use a lot more tricks. Let’s sit down, and I will tell you a few more.
In closing, let me say that insurance companies don’t want you to hire a lawyer. There is a good reason for that – but only if you are an insurance company. My advice is to hire a lawyer and let the professionals fight with the professionals. You focus on getting better.
If you are injured in a traffic accident, on-the-job injury, nursing home neglect incident, slip-and-fall, boating accident, or other personal injury, you can talk to us at the law firm of Steele Ritchie for free. We genuinely want to help. We are local attorneys with decades of experience helping people, especially in the southwest Mobile area. Give us a call at (251) 666-1212.
Allen Ritchie
Alabama Personal Injury Lawyer