We’ve written before about Progressive Insurance’s tactic of coming to injury accident victim’s home to make a lowball offer early on following an accident . This practice seems to be growing in popularity amongst insurance companies. More and more insurance adjustors are trying to get to accident victims early on to convince them to sign a release before they can hire a personal injury attorney.
The insurance companies are not dumb. They know that their own insurance studies show that injury accident victims receive three times as much compensation when they hire a lawyer than when they do not. It is the goal of the insurance companies to try to get away with paying as little money to settle claims. This is just one tactic to acheive that goal.
A recent post on Facebook reminded our office of this tactic and how widespread it is. According to the post‚ the insurance company offered the victim $1‚000 as final payment to settle his claim. Unfortunately‚ he said yes and he accepted the settlement amount as payment in full. When he told his family and a lawyer friend about the settlement‚ they all said he she should have waited until his medical treatment was done. When he tried to reverse the agreement‚ the insurance company said "too bad‚ you signed a release."
It is always a smart idea to consult with a personal injury lawyer prior to settling an insurance claim. Often‚ attorneys will provide a free consultation and advise you whether you should accept the settlement offer. Since this does not cost anything‚ it is a very smart thing to do. Don’t sell yourself short by settling with the insurance company early.
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