Your insurance claim after a crash can help your finances out significantly. When you get in a car accident, there are certain things you need to do. If you want to protect your rights to pursue the other driver for damages, you must follow these steps. Otherwise, you could jeopardize your chances of being compensated for your injuries.
The first thing you need to do is call 911. The officer will come out to the scene and do a thorough investigation of the crash. The second thing you need to do is go to the hospital for medical treatment. Your Georgia personal injury lawyer will need your medical records to prove that you were injured. Finally, you need to file your auto insurance claim.
The problem is that a lot of people have no idea how to properly file an auto insurance claim. They also don’t realize that even the simplest of mistakes can cost them damages.
That’s why we recommend that you go online as soon as possible after your accident and search for, “the top auto accident lawyer near me.” When you perform this search, you’ll see our firm appear at the top. This is because we are one of the top accident firms in Georgia. Your accident attorney can help you file your claim properly. They’ll also make sure it’s handled fairly by the insurance company.
Here, we’ll explain why you need to hire a personal injury attorney in Georgia before you file your insurance claim. We’ll also explain some of the mistakes accident victims make in the days following their motor vehicle accidents. Finally, we’ll explain how you can get in touch with our office to schedule your free, initial consultation.
Your Personal Injury Attorney in Georgia Will Help with the Initial Insurance Claim
One of the first things you need to do after your accident is file a claim with the insurance company. If the other driver was at fault, then their insurance carrier should pay any damages related to the crash. However, they won’t even entertain paying your claim if it isn’t filed properly. This is where your personal injury attorney in Georgia enters the picture.
Our associates have been dealing with insurance companies for years. They know how important it is that your accident claim is filed on time. This can be tricky.
Most insurance policies don’t spell out exactly how long you have to file your claim. They tend to use language like “reasonable” – as in, you must file your claim within a reasonable time. This is why your attorney will make sure your claim is filed immediately after your accident.
The other thing your lawyer will do is make sure that all the necessary information is provided to the insurance company. If you forget to send in a copy of the police report or don’t get an estimate done to repair your vehicle, the insurance company may deny your claim.
If this happens, your attorney will have to gather the missing information and refile your claim. This simply makes it less likely that the insurance adjuster will pay your claim.
We Can Still Help if Your Insurance Claim Has Already Been Denied
If you’ve already filed your insurance claim and it was denied, we can still help. Depending on the reason for the denial, we can try to file an appeal. For example, if your claim was denied because you forgot to include a copy of your mechanic’s bill, they can always get this information and forward it to the insurance company.
If, however, your claim was denied for a substantive reason, you’ll have your work cut out for you. Some of the common reasons why your insurance claim may have been denied include:
- The policy was invalid.
- The policy had lapsed for non-payment or was recently canceled.
- The insurance adjuster thinks you were at fault.
- They don’t believe your injuries were as serious as you say they were.
- You have a history of being involved in motor vehicle accidents.
Now, if the defendant’s insurance policy wasn’t valid, there’s nothing anybody can do to help. They’re never going to pay an insurance claim on an invalid policy. If they did, they’d go bankrupt in no time.
For any of the other reasons, however, we can always file an appeal. If that doesn’t work, we’ll file a lawsuit on your behalf.
What Are Some of the Common Mistakes Accident Victims Make?
We’ve noticed over the years that accident victims tend to make the same mistakes repeatedly. For example, one of the biggest mistakes you can make after your accident is agreeing to not call the police. You agree to exchange insurance information with the other driver only to find out they gave you false information. There’s nothing your personal injury attorney in Georgia can do to fix that.
Another mistake people make is they make a statement to the insurance company before they talk to their attorney. In the hours after a car crash, you may be shaken up. You are still trying to piece together what happened.
When you’re asked to make a statement to the insurance adjuster, you speak out of turn. Maybe you admit that you could have been at fault. Or you say that you didn’t see what happened. Things like this can not only cause your claim to be denied, but it can also cost you a legal settlement.
Call to Schedule Your Free, Initial Consultation As Soon as Possible After Your Crash
You don’t have to call an attorney after your car accident. You have every right to handle the insurance company all by yourself. However, you must realize that if you make even a slight error, your claim could be denied. If this happens, you may not receive any compensation for your injuries.
Our personal injury attorneys in Georgia have years’ worth of experience dealing with insurance companies. They aren’t intimidated by the big insurance carriers, and they know what it takes to get your claim paid.
Call today and schedule your free, initial consultation. Once you decide to retain our services, we can reach out to the insurance company and get the claims process started. Since your initial consultation is free, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The defendant will have a team of lawyers working for them and you should too.
