Sometimes, clients hire us after unsuccessfully trying to settle their personal injury claim on their own following an auto accident. Trying to settle a personal injury claim on your own is almost always unwise.

The insurance companies want you to believe that they are “on your side”, that they are your “good neighbor” and that you are in their “good hands”. It is easy for us to fall for the slick advertising, because, after all, we paid our premiums when they came due and we want to believe that the insurance company is going to provide the care we need. The truth, though, is that the insurance company is a business that is more concerned with its bottom line. Insurance companies make money by hanging onto it, not by paying out claims at a fair and reasonable value. They make money by intentionally offering low settlements and trusting that more injured people will accept a low ball offer than not. A recent article from this spring suggests shows that State Farm, the country’s largest auto insurer, turned a profit of $3.2 billion last year. That’s a lot of premium paid in and a good job of keeping claims paid to a minimum.

In our experience, State Farm, Farmers and Allstate tend to aggressively make low offers and stick with them. This may be because they rely more on computer generated data for offers than an actual, honest review by an adjuster. It may be because they know that people have bought into the slick advertising and will not check with an attorney to determine if the settlement offer is fair.

If you want a fair settlement, and someone who will truly fight for you, a personal injury attorney is your best bet. Insurance companies are in the business of trying to find ways to reject claims, or at least pay as little as possible on claims. If you are the victim of an auto accident, it’s especially important that you hire a personal injury attorney to ensure that you get what is fair and reasonable for your claim.

Here is a link to a previous post about some tips to follow if you have been in an auto accident. Please contact us if we can be of assistance.