How Can a Car Accident Attorney Help With Insurance Disputes?

If you have been in a car accident, a Joplin car accident attorney can help you in any disputes that might arise with the insurance company along the way. In fact, having an attorney will do a lot to ensure your rights are protected and you can get the compensation you deserve for your losses and damages.

How Can a Joplin Car Accident Attorney Help With Insurance Disputes?

1. By Thoroughly Investigating the Accident

Sometimes, disputes in a car accident come down to questions about fault and degree of fault. One of the most important things that your lawyer can do for you is to investigate the accident and help you turn up every piece of evidence that shows exactly what happened, who was at fault, and to what degree. This is more difficult than it might seem at first, and while there is a lot you can do to gather evidence at the scene, sometimes it takes someone with skill and experience in doing this to find every piece of evidence out there.

A lawyer who has been down this road before will know how to find things like video evidence that you might have missed, convince a timid witness to be willing to speak on your behalf, or will have an accident reconstruction expert who can analyze tire skid marks and other scene evidence. Your lawyer will also know how to look at all these disparate pieces of evidence that may not seem connected and see the story behind them. They will also be able to put it together and present it the right way to make your argument for what happened.

2. By Using the Right Kind of Pressure for the Situation

If you have an experienced Joplin car accident attorney on your side, you have someone working with you who has negotiated with insurance companies many times before. This means they will understand when it’s right to bring pressure, what kind of pressure to exert, and when it might be right to back off. They can do this in part because the issue is not personal to them, but professional.

As the victim, you may have a lot tougher time with this. It’s easy to get frustrated early and to start putting the wrong kind of pressure on the other side, which may get their back up. On the other hand, victims sometimes feel defeated and back off at precisely the moment they should be pressing forward aggressively. Your lawyer knows how to do all this and will put their skills to work on your behalf.

3. By Showing That You’re Serious

Everyone says they are going to “get a lawyer” when another person or entity isn’t cooperating, but insurance companies know that many victims won’t ever actually go through with that threat. They may be hoping that you are too afraid of the cost of a lawyer to actually get one. The good news is that your lawyer in a car accident situation will work on a contingency basis, which means that they won’t get paid unless you get paid, and until you get paid.

There’s no need to worry about being stuck with a huge legal bill you can’t afford. And once you do get a lawyer, you’ve just demonstrated to the other side that you’re serious about standing up for your rights and there is a genuine possibility they might end up in court if they don’t give you a reasonable settlement.

4. By Protecting You From Unreasonable Settlements

Speaking of unreasonable settlements, it’s quite common for insurance companies to make an initial offer that is far below what you’re asking for or what is reasonable. In some cases, this is just a negotiating tactic: they are starting low and expecting you to start high and fully intend to meet somewhere in the middle. But in other cases, they are hoping that you are so desperate for money, so frustrated by the process, or so unaware of how much you’re really owed that you will just sign on the bottom line and they can get away with paying you less than you deserve. And in a few cases, there can even be “bad faith” involved. Bad faith refers to when an insurance company simply refuses to meet its obligations.

Your lawyer can help you in all these situations. If it’s a negotiation tactic, they will immediately go to work negotiating back and pushing for the full amount that you were owed. If it is a ploy to trick you into agreeing to less than you deserve, your lawyer will protect you from making a mistake here. And if it’s truly bad faith, your lawyer can help you pursue the insurance company in court and through other official remedies.

5. By Protecting You From Frustration

If you are already frustrated and exhausted, suffering the mental, physical, and emotional effects of an accident, the last thing you need is to deal with paperwork, red tape, and negotiations from people who are just supposed to be paying you what you are owed. One of the key functions of your attorney is to protect you from this by taking the burden of talking to the insurance company on their own shoulders.

6. By Keeping You From Being Tricked Into Saying Something You Shouldn’t

When the insurance adjuster calls, it’s common for them to ask a lot of questions. But once they stray beyond asking you about the simple facts of what happened, even though their questions may sound sympathetic or professional, it’s likely that what they’re actually doing is fishing for information they can use against you.

They may be trying to get you to say something that they can turn around and claim is an admission of fault. Your lawyer can protect you from this, and there’s enormous relief in being able to say “I’m not able to answer any questions until I speak with my attorney” or “please contact my attorney with these questions.”

7. By Taking Them to Court

If the insurance company really digs in their heels, your attorney will be prepared to take them to court and hold them accountable. Your attorney will also be the voice of advice you need to help you decide when and if you should go to court at all.

8. By Holding Them Accountable to Follow Through

Once you’ve reached a settlement with an insurance company, or once there has been a judgment against them in court, the insurance company is supposed to pay you within the timeframe permitted by law. If they start dragging their feet or otherwise fail to meet their obligations as ordered by the court or agreed upon in your settlement, you need someone to give them a push. Your attorney will keep track of all this and make sure that they follow through.

As you can see, there’s a lot that your lawyer can do for you as you deal with insurance companies after an accident. For skilled and experienced help, contact the Wendt Law Firm P.C. in Kansas City, MO for a free case evaluation. We also serve Joplin, Camdenton, MO and the larger area and are ready to put our skills to work for you.