You are probably dealing with at least three different people from at least two different insurance companies, and they all want something different.
The first person is the adjuster for getting the car fixed. Usually, he works for the other side’s insurance – but he might work for your own. He wants to get this taken care of as fast as possible. He wants an estimate – but he’d rather go out and get his own estimate, and get you to take a check for that before you go to your own body shop. He’s afraid they’ll come in with a higher number.
The next person might be the personal injury claim adjuster for the other side. His job is to get you to promise not to sue the other insurance company, in exchange for as little money as possible.
Or the next person might be the medical payments adjuster for your own auto insurance company, if you have medical payments coverage. He’ll want to know whether you want to make a claim. He’ll also want to ask your doctor if the treatment is related to the accident.
And if the other driver doesn’t have insurance – or doesn’t have enough insurance – you will also wind up dealing with your own insurance company, if you have uninsured motorist coverage. He will want proof that the other driver doesn’t have insurance.
(Sounds easy – until you think about it. How on earth do you prove someone doesn’t have something? Despite this, there’s usually not that much of a fight about this issue.)
And what you have to keep in mind is that all these insurance people are just worried about solving their problems – not yours. Their problem is getting you out of their system as soon as possible, so they don’t have to pay you any more money.
Which is why people hire lawyers. We deal with everyone for our clients. (Most lawyers, including me, don’t deal directly with repairing your car, because we don’t want to charge you for it, and most people can handle it themselves. But we can talk to the adjuster, and tell you what we think.)
So when you hire a lawyer, you wind up talking to one person – instead of three.
I have been a lawyer over 30 years. You will find your life is a lot easier if you just have to talk to one person – your lawyer. If you have a personal injury case in Cincinnati, Ohio or if you want to know what your lawsuit is worth, talk with an experienced Cincinnati Injury Attorney about the case. Call me, William Strubbe, at 513-621-4775.
Because all situations are different, and because there may be other facts pertaining to your case that I don’t know about, you should not rely on this answer for legal advice. I am not your attorney, and no lawyer client relationship has been formed.
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