When Insurance Companies Become Enemies

Image of an Insurance Policy

Insurance companies are a necessary evil. They’re like the business partners we love to hate. Every state in the union requires us to carry automotive insurance for our vehicles: cars, trucks, motorcycles, trailers, and often even boats and planes. At first we learn to cherish and love these insurance companies as they’re protecting us and keeping us from harm’s way. We love them; that is, until we need them. That’s when the love affair gets twisted and tainted.

The Hidden Struggles After Reporting an Accident

What seemed to be a happy mutually beneficial relationship with my insurance company, becomes contentious. It all starts when I call up to report that I’ve been in an accident. They start off innocuously enough taking down basic information:

  • “Is everyone okay?” 
  • “When did it occur?” 
  • “Is the car drivable?” 

You know, they ask that basic harmless stuff. And then the questions get a little deeper and they’re getting asked by different “helpful” people or departments over a succession of evolving contacts and encounters. They asked things like: 

  • “Was anyone hurt?”  
  • “How badly?”
  • “Did emergency medical respond?”

They begin to take accident statements. It’s at this point unwise lovers throw caution to the wind and often get burned by the vindictiveness and lowering expectations of what the insurance company actually provides.

We have relatives. We’ve talked to friends and break rooms. We’ve listened to “hair salon lawyers” talk about their accidents and the outcomes were typically pretty much the same. The insurance company offered to pay for their accidents but at much lower amounts than expected. It didn’t even cover the cost of the vehicle. They couldn’t replace what was lost. After the loan at the bank was taken care of and satisfied, the resulting payment and settlement left nothing to get reliable transportation with. It was a bleak outcome. And their friendly insurance company suddenly became their worst nightmare.

Perhaps you have already taken an unpleasant walk in those same shoes. 

Facing Insurance Companies Alone Is a Risk You Can’t Afford to Take

It’s an old cliche that “It’s a fool who has himself for a lawyer.” Roughly the same can be said about people who represent themselves when dealing with insurance companies. Insurance companies have a pool of lawyers on constant retainer. Those attorneys are well schooled, experienced, and practiced at dealing with policyholders to determine the dollar amounts of settlements. And should things take adversarial turns for the worse, these same legal teams are extremely capable of pursuing or defending issues in courts of law. 

Insurance companies want quick and decisive resolutions to claims. Nothing is worse for them than having your claim remain opened and protracted for a long period of time as it increases their exposure for you discover subsequent injuries and have further physical complications. Passing time allows for the discovery of more avenues of success for your position or case. And protracted time spent dealing with insurance companies makes people more irritable and recalcitrant. As they continue to lose or wait for money, suffer loss of income and physical immobility, experience constant pain, the pleasantries of business shrivel up on the vine and people turn mean.

Working with Accident Attorneys Can Help

Smart folks smell the coffee immediately after their accidents. They know to call an attorney first and immediately, before they report the accident, make statements, go to a claims adjuster, rent a replacement vehicle, or take further action. Smart people are not opportunists. They are not pursuing easy ways to feather their nests after tragic incidents. They’re not trying to make lemonade out of lemons by any stretch. No, not at all.  

Instead, they’ve learned by experience, or by close observation of others’ missteps, to seek advice and legal counsel as soon as possible. Not to profiteer, but to survive as best and whole as they possibly can. 

Work with Attorney Paul Powell After an Accident

When you’ve been involved in a fender bender, whether it appears minor or devastatingly perilous, contact the Paul Powell Law Firm for the very best in personal injury representation. Your first consultation is always free.  

We’ve been in business in Southern Nevada for over 24 years. We know the courts, the procedures, the medical specialists, the investigators, and follow the dangerous intersections and trends in occurrences that occur around the valley. Look to us for help, guidance, and direction to get back on the pathway to full recovery. Contact us at Paulpowell.com or at 702-728-5500. Paul Powell. More lawyer. Less Fee.