The Insurance Company Said I Don’t Need A Lawyer—Is That True?
If you are injured in an accident and the first person you speak with is an insurance claims adjuster, he or she will most likely say you don’t need an attorney if the issues of hiring legal representation comes up. Don’t listen to them. In many personal injury cases, the initial medical bills are only the tip of the iceberg, and if you don’t have legal representation, you will be stuck paying for anything not covered in the initial settlement check.
Many attorneys have said that this scenario – an insurance company trying to talk you out of hiring an attorney – happens when the injuries are most serious, and that it’s all because of money. Insurance companies are in the business of making a profit, and the least they can compensate you for your injuries – even if those injuries include a serious head injury, paralysis or the loss of a limb personal injury attorney.
What will insurance companies say to talk me out of hiring an attorney?
When insurance companies are concerned that they will have to compensate you for your injuries in the long term, they likely have a script they follow in order to coerce you into doing what suits them – not you – best.
They will tell you that you don’t need an attorney, because they are there to help you. They will tell you that an attorney will take most of your money, leaving you with medical expenses. They may also tell you that they understand they are at fault, so why would you need an attorney?
No matter what an insurance adjuster might say, imagine you are dealing with a used car salesman trying to sell you a car that has been in a myriad of accidents, without making mention of a single one of those crashes. The salesman is being dishonest, and so is the insurance adjuster. While not every used car salesman is trying to be dishonest, all businesses are designed to make money. It’s just a matter of who to trust, and who not to trust.
Do I need an attorney?
Knowing that the insurance adjuster you are dealing with is trying to talk you out of hiring an attorney, an attorney who you will hire in order to recover compensation for an accident will have a lasting impact on your life. You may not understand the complexities of a legal case – or the role of an insurance adjuster for that matter – but many of us don’t. It can be easy to be fooled by an insurance adjuster who makes you feel as though you’re in good hands, even when they know that what they are offering you won’t ultimately cover your expenses.
If you do settle, you could be stuck not only with unforeseen medical bills, but repayments to your health insurance company and potentially, any funds you received in a workers’ compensation claim. Because of these things, when an insurance adjuster tells you that you don’t need an attorney, don’t trust them. When you hang up the phone, make your first call to a personal injury attorney who can handle your claim with finesse and with your personal security in mind.
Contact Personal Injury Legal Directory to learn more about the importance of hiring an attorney, even if an insurance adjuster says you do not need one.