Insurance Coverage Issues

It is always important to remember in the aftermath of an Arizona car accident that the insurance company is not your friend. The insurance adjuster is not looking out for your best interest. He or she is in the business of making money for the insurance company. Therefore, it is critical that you avoid certain pitfalls and mistakes when you talk to the insurance adjuster that can lessen the value of your Arizona car insurance claim. Here are a few tips to deal with an insurance company following an Arizona injury car accident:

1. First, do not allow the insurance adjuster to record your initial conversation. These conversations can be confusing and stressful. If you make a mistake or say something that you did not intend to say, it can still be used against you.
2. Do not give any information about your family. You are not obligated to answer any questions about your children or spouse. You are also not obligated to provide information about the people who may have witnessed the crash or the name of your doctor. Do not give the insurance company the permission to access your medical records.
3. Be as detailed as possible when describing your injuries but as general as possible when discussing the specifics of the crash. You do not want to get caught answering a question about the time, location or specifics of the crash incorrectly. You also don’t want to understate your injuries especially if you don’t know the full extent of your injuries.
4. Remember to be respectful and honest. Do not argue with the adjuster. Be truthful. Only talk about what you know. If you don’t understand the question or don’t know the answer, say so instead of trying to guess or assume.
5. Last but not least, speak with an attorney before calling an insurance company. A skilled accident lawyer will have years of experience working with insurance adjusters and know precisely how to deal with them.

The reputed Tuscon insurance dispute attorneys at The Breyer Law Offices P.C know how to get their clients the compensation they need following an Arizona car accident. Please contact us today at 602-457-6222 to find out how we can help you deal with the insurance company after a car accident.

Arizona is a tort law state. This means that the victims of Phoenix car accidents must prove that the other driver was responsible for the crash to receive compensation for their losses. Ideally, the injured victim will file a claim and the at-fault driver’s insurance will accept the claim and provide an adequate settlement. Unfortunately, numerous valid claims are disputed. Many injured victims are left having to pay out-of-pocket for their own medical bills, car repairs and time away from work.

Injured victims have the right to appeal a decision by an insurance company. An Arizona insurance claim dispute may go through mediation, arbitration or litigation depending upon the insurance company’s reluctance to offer a fair settlement to the victim. Mediation is a casual, non-binding process where both sides try to come to a reasonable agreement. Arbitration is a more formal form of mediation where a lawyer may use evidence provided by eyewitness accounts and expert testimony. When arbitration does not work in the victim’s favor, it may become necessary to take the insurance company to court by filing a personal injury lawsuit.

Injured victims should be able to receive compensation for medical expenses, time away from work, car repairs, and reimbursement for continuing treatment such as physical therapy and chiropractic care. Many of these costs may not be covered by the initial settlement offer from an insurance company. That is why it is important to speak to a skilled personal injury attorney before accepting a claim resolution settlement.

The Phoenix car crash attorneys at The Breyer Law Offices, P.C. ensure their clients receive full compensation for their injuries, damages and losses. Remember, you may not receive the settlement you rightfully deserve if you rush into accepting the first offer made by the insurance company. You need a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer on your side, who is also a skilled negotiator. If you are looking for more information, please contact our law office today at 602-978-6400 for a free consultation.

You’d be surprised by the number of people who call our office because they’ve been injured in a car accident and the insurance company is either completely refusing to settle, or they will only settle the case for far less than what it’s worth. When people call up, frustrated and confused, they are shocked to find out that in Arizona, insurance companies are not required to settle cases. For that reason, it is critically important to hire a top Arizona accident attorney, even if the case is not going to court.

There are two ways a personal injury case is resolved. One way is through a settlement, which is by far the most frequent. A settlement occurs when an insurance company offers the personal injury victim an amount they are willing to accept. The other way to resolve cases is by taking them to court. Cases usually don’t go this far, but when they do, they are heard in front of a judge and jury. So car accident cases in Arizona are either resolved through a settlement or as a result of a jury verdict.

While car accident cases in Arizona rarely go to court, if an insurance company isn’t pressured to settle by the threat of a jury trial, then they will try to avoid settling or they’ll try to settle for far less than what is reasonable and fair. But by having an experienced Arizona car accident attorney, you are forcing the insurance company to recognize that there is a very real possibility of a jury trial. Most insurance companies would much rather settle a case than deal with a trial.

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, and the insurance company is either refusing to settle, or is offering a low settlement amount, contact Breyer Law Offices. As experienced vehicle collision attorneys in Arizona, we can help you understand Arizona insurance company secrets, answer your questions, and provide you with the representation you need to get the money you deserve.

In my time as a certified specialist in Arizona personal injury and wrongful death law, I have had the opportunity to deal regularly with insurance companies for many negligent drivers. Too often, people call me because they feel they have been given no other choice. They did not cause the accident, but the insurance company refuses to settle the case, or refuses to settle the personal injury claim for anywhere near the amount the injured party feels is fair. Arizona insurance companies are not required to settle personal injury claims, even if they represent an at fault driver, and that is why any personal injury victim should contact an experienced Arizona injury attorney even when the claim does not go to court.

There are only two ways a personal injury case usually ends. Either by settlement or through a trial by jury. Settlements occur when the insurance company offers a personal injury victim compensation, and the injured person then accepts. In the other option, which happens less often, a jury decides on how much the case is worth in a trial. So, an Arizona personal injury claim will most often end with a settlement or with a jury verdict. The insurance company cannot legally be forced to settle any personal injury claim. Most often, it is the threat of taking the case all the way to a jury trial that will encourage the insurance company to offer a fair settlement. Insurance companies will seldom settle any personal injury or wrongful death case for fair value without this threat.

By having a seasoned Arizona personal injury attorney help you with your auto accident case, it forces the insurance company to recognize that if they do not settle the case will go to trial. It is for this reason that it is so important not to just hire any personal injury attorney, but to hire an experienced personal injury attorney that can take on an insurance company in trial and win. Most people would prefer to settle their personal injury claim and not go to trial, but having a lawyer on your side will protect your rights in any personal injury claim. The insurance company knows this, and will be more likely to settle for a fair value if they see that they are up against a competent Phoenix car accident lawyer.

Should you have questions about a personal injury settlement offered to you by an insurance company, particularly if you believe the settlement offer is unfair, we invite you to call us. We will readily answer the questions you need answered to determine whether to pursue your personal injury claim. We know how important this decision is.

As a certified specialist in injury and wrongful death litigation by the State Bar of Arizona, I have dealings with insurance companies for at-fault drivers in car accidents on a very regular basis. Many times, people call my office because they feel that they have been left with no other option. They call my office because they did not cause the accident but the insurance company for the other side is either refusing to settle the case, or is refusing to settle the case for anywhere near what the injured person believes would be a fair settlement. One of the things that surprises people is that Arizona insurance companies are not required to settle the case. In fact, it is precisely because of this that hiring a top personal injury Arizona attorney becomes so important even for cases that are not going to go to court.

There are only two ways that a personal injury case will usually be finished. One is by a settlement. This occurs when the insurance company makes an offer that the personal injury client is willing to accept. The other, which usually does not happen but it can at times, occurs when there is never a settlement that is reached and the case goes all the way to trial and the jury tells everybody what the case is worth. In other words, the case either ends by a settlement or it ends because of a jury verdict. There is no way to force the other insurance company to settle the case. Instead, it is the threat of taking the case to a jury and allowing this assortment of people put together as the jury on that case to decide the value of the case that threatens the insurance company into offering a fair settlement. If they are not kept honest by the threat of a jury trial, they will rarely settle the case for a fair value.

Having an experienced Arizona personal injury lawyer helping on your car accident claim is vital because it forces the insurance company to recognize that if they don’t settle the case the case is going to go to trial. In fact, this is why it is so important to not just hire any personal injury lawyer, but to hire a personal injury trial lawyer – one that actually takes cases to trial if the insurance company does not offer a fair settlement. Most people do not want to go to trial and they would prefer to settle the case. But having a lawyer on your side that the insurance company knows is going to take the case to trial if they don’t settle the case is vital to protecting your rights.

If you have any questions about a settlement that is not being offered or one that you believe is not fair, please feel free to give us a call. We are happy to answer any questions which you may have to allow you to make the best decision for you and your family during this difficult time. No doubt, it is an important decision.