I received this question again today, one that is not uncommon in my practice of personal injury law.
A few days ago the caller was injured in an auto accident that was not his fault. Just a few days after the wreck, he got a call from the at fault driver’s insurance company offering to pay his medical bills. The adjustor was very polite and told him she would pay the “reasonable” medical expenses and even give him a few hundred dollars to settle the case. Luckily, this caller had read The South Carolina Accident Book, and knew the tricks that insurance adjustor’s will pull to entice injury victims to take a quick settlement. He called me to get an honest evaluation of whether or not he needed an attorney.
My opinion is this… you may not need a lawyer for your case if you are involved in a car wreck where there is little property damage and you are not hurt. However, if you are injured in an auto accident and your phone starts ringing a few days later with the adjustor offering you money, you can bet it is not because she really wants to take care of you. One of the first signs that you should look seriously at hiring an experienced injury attorney for your accident case is when the insurance company calls and offers you money.
The adjustor’s job is to save the insurance company money. Adjustors get raises and bonuses based on how much money they save the insurance company by paying LESS than a case is worth. This caller did the right thing. He did not accept the quick settlement, and turns out, not surprisingly, his case is probably worth a lot more than the few hundred dollars he was offered by the adjustor.
Learn more about what to do if you are in a car accident!
- Order your Free copy of The South Carolina Accident Book: Avoid the Mistakes that Can Wreck Your Accident Case today!
- Contact Shelly Leeke Law Firm for a Free Consultation.
