Car Insurance After a Car Accident
After a car accident, many people worry that their car insurance premiums will go up. This is true in many cases, but there are ways to avoid this issue. If you are the victim of an accident and are found to have no liability or comparative negligence during the insurance claim following the crash, you will not have any increase in your rates since the other driver is responsible. This is one reason why it is so important to work with an experienced car accident attorney in St.Louis in the aftermath: simply collecting a settlement check and moving forward with your life can have long-term impacts whether or not your injuries and other damages are lasting.
Contact Hipskind & McAninch, LLC For a Free Consultation Today
We offer a free consultation for car accident victims so that we can have an in-depth conversation about the overall situation and go through each of the details that make your crash unique. Too often, people file an insurance claim and go through the entire investigation without the support of an experienced attorney, which can result in a settlement that is far less than they deserve and can have other unexpected consequences such as an increase in insurance premiums. Don’t wait until it’s too late: contact our firm now to get a better sense of how we can support you during this time.
Read more about car insurance and how it works after an accident, and contact us now to get the help you deserve.
How Does Car Insurance Work After An Accident?
Car insurance works in one of two ways after an accident: you will either file a first-party personal injury claim in St.Louis with your own carrier, or you will file a third-party claim against the other driver’s policy. This all depends on the nature of the crash, such as whether or not you are responsible for the accident and whether or not the other driver is adequately insured to cover your damages. In the event that you are the victim and the other driver is insured, you can expect the following steps to take place:
You File a Claim With the Other Driver’s Insurance Company
You will submit your claim for damages to the other driver’s insurance company, at which point they will open a case and start to work through getting you a check. Remember: no matter how simple the process is, the insurance company is focused almost-entirely on settling for as little as possible, regardless of what you are actually entitled to.
The Insurance Company Assigns a Claims Adjuster To Your Case
The insurance adjuster will go through all of the details of your accident, starting with answering the question of liability and fault. If you accept any degree of fault for the accident, your final settlement will be reduced through comparative negligence, and you may have an increase to your premium. Be sure that you do not accept liability that you are not actually responsible for.
The Adjuster Performs an Investigation
During the investigation, the adjuster will look at all of the statements and documents you submit, will send you requests for additional information, and will ultimately determine an amount to offer you in a settlement. The problem here is that the adjuster is working for the insurance company — not for you — and their main objective is to find as many ways as possible to reduce the amount that ultimately gets paid out. During the claims investigation, your personal injury attorney will go through their own process in order to identify all damages you have suffered and reach their own calculations about what they believe you are rightfully entitled to.
The Insurance Company Makes a Settlement Offer
Once the investigation is concluded, the adjuster will submit an offer for a one-time payment in exchange for you waiving your rights to any additional legal action stemming from this accident. The problem, you will notice, is that their offer is significantly less than the amount your attorney has calculated, which is why your lawyer will then go through a series of negotiations in order to close the gap between these two figures.
You Agree To a Settlement Or File a Lawsuit
Depending on how negotiations go, your attorney will either advise you to accept the offer and move on or will file a lawsuit in civil court in order to seek a payment that accurately compensates you for all damages. There are many variables that go into this decision, all of which you will have worked through with your lawyer throughout the claims process.