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After an accident, you have just one chance to settle the claim with the insurance company. After signing a settlement agreement, there is no turning back, so you must get as much money as possible for your injuries and other losses. If you have been injured in an accident, our Wisconsin personal injury lawyer at The Law Offices of John V. O’Connor can help with your insurance claim.
The insurance claims adjuster for the potentially negligent party is a trained negotiator, and their task is to settle your claim for as little as possible. Insurance adjusters negotiate claims daily, so they are skilled at reducing their employers’ liability.
As an accident victim, you probably have a lot on your mind. Negotiating a fair settlement with a stingy insurance company may be challenging between your injuries, medical appointments, and other life stressors. Moreover, most accident victims are not well-versed in insurance and the law, so making mistakes that cost you money is easy.
On the other hand, a Wisconsin personal injury lawyer knows what to expect when negotiating with an insurance company. If there is an insurance dispute and disagreements over what they will pay, your attorney will probably achieve better results than someone without legal experience.
Suppose you are in a car accident where another driver rear-ends you at a stop sign. It would appear that the other driver is entirely at fault. So, the insurance settlement negotiations should be a breeze, right? Not so fast. Even when the other driver obviously caused the collision, the burden of proof is on you.
If you do your insurance negotiations, you will need to have plenty of evidence that the other driver was at fault. This means gathering police reports, witness statements, photographs of the vehicles and accident scene, and more. In addition, you may need to conduct many follow-up calls with doctors, insurance companies, the police, etc. A driver with serious injuries may find this process overwhelming.
Even if you collect convincing evidence that the other driver was at fault, the insurance adjuster may still balk, encouraging you to give up and settle for a small sum. They might even try to partially blame you for the accident. In Wisconsin, there is a comparative negligence rule for accidents which means you may receive less money in a settlement if you were partially at fault.
However, a Wisconsin personal injury attorney has the experience and resources to gather accident evidence quickly. If you hire an attorney who sends a demand letter to the insurance company for a settlement, it often receives a better response than if the accident victim sends it. Plus, the attorney can always keep the threat of a lawsuit in the background to encourage the insurer to offer a reasonable settlement.
Were you injured because of someone’s negligence? You should not negotiate with the insurance company on your own. Instead, rely on a personal injury attorney to negotiate the best settlement. Our Wisconsin personal injury lawyer at The Law Offices of John V. O’Connor can help, so call (262) 605-8400.
