Being in an automobile accident can be a very traumatic and trying experience. Unfortunately, once the wreck is over the problems can still continue. It is estimated by the National Safety Council that there are more than 12 million auto accidents annually, including more than 20 million vehicles. This creates a situation for the automotive insurance companies that can be quite expensive. Insurance companies are always looking for ways to save money and cut costs. One way that they do this is by working very hard at not paying you any more than they have to, if you are in an automobile accident. At times the insurance companies will try to not pay you at all for your car's damages.
Even a small fender bender can result in hundreds of dollars worth of damage. A small dent on the rear quarter panel of a car will be very expensive to fix at a body shop. These minor dents and dings are why insurance companies entice people to agree to a deductible when creating their policy. It is no coincidence that the amount of many deductibles is $500-$1,000. Many very minor dents and dings will not result in enough damage to go over your deductible and your insurance company will not have to pay anything.
If you are involved in an automobile accident, you may think that your insurance company is on your side, but in reality they are on their own side and want to save themselves money. Let us take a look at an example. A person just purchased a car and has full coverage insurance on that vehicle. Two weeks later that person is involved in a major accident. The insurance adjuster declares that the car is "totaled". This means that the expense of repair exceeds the vehicles Blue Book value. A blue book is one of the primary resources that insurance adjusters and car dealerships use to determine the value of any car.
So the insurance adjuster said that the person's car is a total loss, but the blue book value is only $7,000 and the person paid $10,000 for the car. Where does that other $3,000 come from? That loss is expected to be absorbed by the unlucky owner of the car. Does this sound like a fair deal for the person who has only owned his or her car for just two weeks?
A situation such as the one described above is why you need a qualified and competent lawyer, who is on your side. In many instances a lawyer will be able to recoup the full price that you paid for the car, not just the blue book value. Even if your car is not new, you may have spent a great deal of money on maintenance repairs recently, and insurance companies generally do not pay for that either. A lawyer will be able to help you in instances such as these also.
The insurance companies have lawyers working for them to help keep them from paying anymore than they have to. Most people are not aware of how much they can get from their insurance company, in case of an automobile accident, and insurance companies like it that way. That is why reading your insurance policy can be like reading a complicated textbook. This is another reason to get a lawyer on your side, lawyers who work in this area know all of the details of insurance policies and will make sure that your very own insurance company does not rip you off.
Hopefully you will not have a need for a lawyer to represent you in an automobile accident claim, but if you do, be sure to select a lawyer that knows his or her business and one that will be on your side and your side only. |
