After you have been injured in a car accident in Iowa, you are usually contacted by the other driver’s insurance corporation. These representatives may be telling you that you don’t need a car accident lawyer. They are probably telling you that you can just “work this out on your own” without an attorney present. They may even suggest that a lawyer is just going to take your money and you will come out worse than if you settled directly with the insurance company.
Insurance Company Reps Want You to Settle Quickly
Before you fall for this trick, remember that these insurance company representatives do not have your best interest in mind. They do not care if you receive fair compensation for your injuries. Their job is to settle your auto accident claim quickly and cheaply.
In fact, insurance industry documents show that insurance corporations train their representatives to talk car accident victims out of hiring attorneys. They will reward those representatives who talk people out of consulting with a car accident lawyer before settling their claim.
The insurance company does this for a few reasons:
- To keep you from learning your rights after you’ve been injured.
If you don’t know what to expect from an insurance company, they can take advantage of your ignorance. Offering you a low settlement to your claim to settle quickly will be much easier if you don’t know how much money to expect for your injuries.
- To pay you less for your auto accident claim.
Insurance industry statistics show that claims where an attorney represents an injured party settle for 2-3 times more than claims where the injured person settles on their own. Our firm is careful to take on cases where we believe we can do better for you, even after our fee is taken into account. The insurance corporations don’t care about where you end up; they know that if you hire a lawyer, you will likely be taking more money out of their pocket.
- To cut off your claim before you know the full extent of your injuries.
Once you settle with the insurance company, you can never ask for more money. If it turns out your injuries do not heal as expected, require more medical care, or are more severe than originally thought, then the medical expenses can mount. Insurance corporations know that if they can settle your case early, they will not be on the hook for later medical expenses.
- To get to you before you understand all of the insurance corporation tactics.
Many people have heard or read about insurance tricks, but believe their own case will be different for some reason. They believe that in their case, they are working with a “nice” insurance corporation, or that others are just whiners, complainers, or unreasonable. Insurance corporations understand this attitude and take advantage of it by trying to seem friendly and cooperative at the start. They understand if they can settle your claim before you personally experience the delays, low offers, questions about your truthfulness, or intrusions into your privacy, then you are likely to take less in settlement simply to “play nice.” Insurance corporations know they can take advantage of your good will.
So how do you make sure to protect yourself from these unfair tactics? You can download our FREE Law Guide to Iowa Car Accident Claims. This free guide will help you educate yourself on your rights after a car crash.
If you still have questions after reading our guide, call us at 1-319-519-4193 and discuss your claim with an experienced car accident attorney. The initial consultation to speak with us is always free. We can help you determine what your next steps should be.
