Hiring An Attorney = More Money In Your Pocket
Last Updated on March 2, 2018 by Paula
Your personal injury claim could be worth much more than what your insurance company is telling you. After a car accident, your insurance adjuster will never tell you that the insurance industry’s own research has proven that people who are represented by a personal injury attorney end up with settlements that are almost three-and-a-half times more than people who try to settle with the insurance company on their own.
Insurance companies are in the business of making money. There is a reason these massive companies continue to grow year after year. One of the easiest ways for insurers to improve profitability is to pay out less money on injury claims. Quite simply, their goal is to settle your claim for as little as possible.
In 2004, the Insurance Research Council — a research organization created and funded by the insurance industry — did a comprehensive study comparing the value of settlements people received for the same injury when they were represented with and without an attorney. The IRC determined that people who were represented by an attorney received almost three-and-a-half times more, even after the attorney’s fees were paid.
As more people learn of this startling information, personal injury law firms have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people who hire an attorney to handle their insurance claims. Another study from the IRC found that from 2007-12, the percentage of car accident injury claimants represented by attorneys rose to 36 percent, a 5 percent increase. In a separate yet related report from the IRC titled “Auto Injuries: Claiming Behavior and Its Impact on Insurance Costs,” it was concluded that 85 percent of all money paid out by insurance companies for bodily injuries goes to clients with an attorney.
Services An Attorney Provides
The type of services provided by a personal injury attorney for injury victims are broken down as follows:
- Filing a claim and/or lawsuit on behalf of an auto accident victim.
- Negotiating settlement with the at-fault driver and/or their auto insurance company.
- Advising medical treatment, including specific doctor, chiropractor or clinic referrals for recovering from injuries sustained in an auto accident.
Additional reasons for hiring an attorney include:
- Insurance company denied victim’s auto accident claim.
- At-fault driver did not have an auto insurance policy.
- Victim was dissatisfied by the insurance company’s settlement offer.
- Insurance company appears to deliberately delay the settlement process.
