Being involved in an automobile accident is a hassle. If there are injuries, it becomes more than just a hassle. In either case, you will be dealing with an insurance company, which is almost never a pleasant thing.
If you do suffer injuries in an auto accident, you may eventually hire an attorney to help you with your case. However, before your attorney will actually become involved with your insurance company, there are some things you will need to to.
Keep records of everything about your accident including pictures and eye-witness interviews if you are able to do so. Also, even if you think your injury is not serious enough to see a doctor, get checked out anyway. Such an exam may be helpful should you have to argue with your insurance company.
If you are seriously injured, be sure to follow through on all of your doctors’ instructions for treatment. And if you need to take off from work, by all means, do so. It’s only after you have exhausted all means to get better that your attorney can send a demand letter to your insurance company.
A letter of demand is a formal request that demands something from the other party; in this case it would be your insurance company. Typically, the insurance company is given 30 days to respond to the demands in the letter.
At this point, the insurance company will usually make an offer of settlement. You and your attorney may make a counteroffer, and this process can go back and forth for more quite some time. If no settlement can be reached, the case may then go to court.
The ultimate goal is to settle your case so that you feel that you have been made as whole as possible, and so that you are able to afford your medical bills and other costs associated with your accident.
If you have legal questions, please consult our Online Legal Directory to find an attorney in your area.