Army of One – Why Trying to Get a Good Settlement on Your Own is a Huge Mistake

Some people ask me – “why should I give a Norfolk, Va car accident lawyer 33 percent of my settlement when I can just negotiate with an insurance adjuster on my own?” Fair question. Here is the answer:

Auto insurance companies hope you try to handle your case on your own so they can take advantage of you.

This statement is not meant to denigrate you or your negotiating abilities. I am simply stating a fact – auto insurance companies love it when an injured person decides not to speak to a lawyer and tries to negotiate a settlement on their own. In fact, the reason you will probably receive a call from the other driver’s auto insurance company is because they want to make you a  low-ball settlement offer before you have even had time to speak to a Norfolk personal injury attorney.

How do insurance companies try to take advantage of you? In many ways. First, if you decide not to accept their opening offer, you may not hear from the auto insurance adjuster for quite some time. This is because insurance companies have virtually unlimited resources and can wait with the expectation that you will either become desperate for money and accept a low-ball settlement or you’ll just get sick and tired of waiting and accept an offer to get the case resolved.

Another way is that they will argue that your injuries were not very serious. They may say things like “low impact” accident and “soft tissue” injuries that they claim heal quickly. If you were involved in an accident before, they may even point to that prior collision to argue that this collision was not the culprit of your harm.

As an experienced car accident lawyer in Norfolk, Virginia, I have heard all of these arguments before from insurance adjusters. The advantage you get when you hire me is that I have no reservation about filing suit and taking your case to court to get you the compensation you deserve. Another advantage is that I deal with the insurance adjuster so you can focus on getting back to 100 percent. This is extremely important since you have plenty of other things to worry about in your life (e.g., missing time from work, missing out on events with friends and family, etc.). You should focus on getting your body back to normal rather than spending time trying to haggle with an insurance adjuster.

Do not make the mistake so many injured drivers make and simply accept a low-ball settlement offer from the other driver’s insurance company. Give me a call and let’s talk about your potential case.