If you have been injured in an accident that someone else caused, then there is a good chance that you will be filing a claim with their insurance company. If they do not have an insurance policy that covers the accident, then you will need to take much different steps than the following, and should not attempt this process without aggressive legal help every step of the way. However, if you are filing a claim with an insurance company, you will still benefit from having an attorney present to help you through each step of the case, starting from the moment you first make contact with the insurance company.

Many people believe that it is not necessary or important to work with a lawyer right off the bat, especially when filing a claim with an insurance company, but this could not be further from the truth. When you hire a lawyer, you send a clear message to the insurance company that you know your rights and that you are here to get what you deserve. From the moment you first file your claim, the insurance company will spring into action in order to identify every possible way to reduce your final settlement amount, but when you are represented by a team like the attorney at fasigbrooks.com, you will have the support that you need and deserve through each of the following steps.

Filing Your Claim

The first advisable step is to hire an attorney, but regardless of whether or not you ultimately work with a legal professional, you will need to file a claim with the insurance company in order to begin the process. Depending on the insurance company’s policies, they will have some possible first steps that you will need to take, such as submitting paperwork or documentation about the accident.

Working With a Claims Adjuster

Once the claim is received by the insurance company, they will assign a claims adjuster to your case who will research the situation over the next few weeks in order to get a comprehensive idea of your injuries and damages, and therefore what they will offer you as a settlement. You may need to take an independent medical examination during this investigation in order to prove that your injuries are as you are claiming them to be. 

The Initial Offer

Once the adjuster has concluded their investigation, they will return to you soon with an initial settlement offer. If you have been working with a personal injury attorney during this time, you will be shocked at the difference between your own estimates and theirs for what they believe you deserve. Remember that an insurance company focuses primarily on limiting settlement amounts to save money, so your financial well-being is not their top priority. 

Negotiations

Since your priority IS your financial wellbeing, you will need to go through a series of negotiations with the insurance company in order to reach some sort of middle ground. Hopefully, you have been working with a lawyer since you initiated your claim, which means that this process of negotiations will be pretty “hands-off” for you. You can focus on recovering from your injuries knowing that your lawyer is fighting for your rights during this process. 

Settlement or Lawsuit?

You and your attorney will have identified a few different dollar amounts that would warrant a settlement agreement or the decision to keep pushing, possibly by filing an official lawsuit in the Florida Courts. Since you have been working with legal support throughout this entire process (you may notice how important we think this is), you will be able to transition from negotiations to trial preparation seamlessly.