Insurance Companies Aren’t Your Friends
My Insurance Company Says I Don’t Need a Lawyer
In this video, Attorney Robert Maranto explains why you should never listen to the insurance companies when it comes to your recovery. Contact one of our experienced injury lawyers in Buffalo if you were involved in an accident.
It is not the place for insurance companies to tell people whether they need a lawyer. This a decision that is outside of the companies’ realm of expertise, but that does not necessarily always stop the companies from trying to advise people. Again, insurance companies have a responsibility to their shareholders, and that responsibility is to pay as little as they can on each claim. A common tactic among insurance companies involves making an offer early on to a potential claimant, and this offer is typically a paltry sum that might encourage that claimant to buy out of a claim. Offers like these are often in the range of $500 to $1,000. The companies do this because they want to make sure that they protect themselves. Even if a case does not have value to it by the law of averages, they may buy out of a case for $500 or $1,000 that’s worth $100,000.
Once a claimant has signed a document that says that he or she is releasing the insurance company from any and all further claims, and once the claimant is paid money, the case is over. If a case has been settled for a meager $500, but surgery becomes necessary to fix injuries related to the accident, even if the case became a multi-million dollar case, signing that document means that the case can no longer be pursued. Only an attorney who understands medicine knows what a case is truly worth. Consulting an insurance adjuster for advice will only harm a case; the adjuster has the goal of protecting her or his company, and I tell all my clients to be skeptical if an adjuster tries to make decisions on their behalf and encourage them to forego hiring an attorney.
Out of State Personal Injury Law Resources
We get a lot of calls from people who get injured on vacation in other areas. We primarily help people that are injured in Western New York. That said, we are constantly looking for attorneys and online resources that can help people injured in other parts of the country. We found this personal injury firm in Pittsburgh, PA that did a great job with their online legal resources. If you are ever injured in Pittsburgh check out their Pennsylvania Personal Injury Guide.