Do You Know What to Do After an Auto Accident? Our San Diego Auto Accident Lawyers Are Here to Help You and Tell You the Truth About California Car Accident Claims.
After a San Diego auto accident, you may feel overwhelmed or confused because you are entering into unfamiliar territory. Unless you are a personal injury attorney or insurance adjuster, you may not know all the necessary steps to obtain the compensation you deserve following a car accident.
Many people will try to give you advice after you get into a car accident. But be careful regarding the information given to you. There is a lot of information floating around about the best way to resolve a car accident case, and most of that information is inaccurate and could actually hurt your chances of recovering a fair settlement for you injuries.
A common piece of advice is “that it is best to accept the initial settlement offer that the insurance adjuster gives you.” That piece of advice is wrong because insurance adjusters generally offer an unreasonably low settlement offer in the outset as a way to take advantage of drivers who are not represented by an attorney.
Also, many people wrongly think that all you have to do is write the insurance company a letter in order to receive a fair settlement. Although you want to think that insurance companies are reasonable, the process of reaching a settlement will not be as easy and streamlined as you think. Insurance companies want to pay you as little as possible.
People also think that the other driver’s insurance company will pay the injured person’s medical bills as soon as they come due. This is also untrue. Insurance companies are known for nickel and diming medical expenses in attempt to pay out less. It is the insurance adjuster’s job to challenge each instance of medical treatment to try to lower the amount they ultimately have to pay the injured driver.
People also think that there is a specific formula used to determine an insurance settlement. People think that settlements come from some formula involving damages and the percentage of liability. But in reality, every car accident is different and there is no universal formula that is used. The belief that the insurance company will offer three times the amount of the medical bills to settle your car accident claim is unfounded. The insurance companies have never used this formula—despite widely held belief that they did.
Finally, (and possibly the biggest misconception) is when one thinks that “it doesn’t matter which attorney they chose, because they are all the same.” This statement is especially dangerous because the auto accident attorney you choose could make or break your case. Some attorneys are more experienced in personal injury cases because they specialize in it. Don’t just pick an attorney randomly out of the yellow pages because they have the biggest ad or the attorney has a nice smile. Be sure to get a lawyer whose primary practice area is personal injury and auto accidents, who knows California motor vehicle laws inside and out, and who has the experience to take your injury case to trial, if necessary.
Have you been injured in an accident in San Diego or anywhere in California and don't know what to do next? We are here to help and provide you with the important and relevant information you need to make an informed decision about:
- How to handle your personal injury claim
- Who is the right injury accident attorney to help you with your case, and
- Whether you even need to hire a lawyer to help you with your insurance claim
Call the Jurewitz Law Group at 888-233-5020 to order one of our free California personal injury books to get the information you need or to set up a free consultation with one of our experienced San Diego personal injury attorneys.
