What You Need to Know about Handling Insurance Companies
Oklahoma law requires every driver to have auto insurance coverage. It is required for a simple reason: to help make sure that when accidents happen, money is there to compensate all victims of the car, motorcycle, truck or other motor vehicle accidents. This not only protects the victims and those others who may be involved in an accident but also ultimately helps the community and local economy to not have to foot the bill.
While we all have and need auto insurance, it is also true that insurance companies are businesses, and as such, they want to make a profit, even if that profit has to come at your expense.
When you have been in any kind of accident, do not talk to or sign anything with an insurance company before you have talked to an attorney who has experience with the type of accident in which you have been involved and who knows how to deal with insurance companies.
Here is some simple advice about how to get the compensation you deserve:
- Realize that as soon as an accident has occurred, the person responsible (the negligent party) will contact his or her insurer. The auto insurance company will have its adjuster on the scene almost immediately to investigate the evidence and interview potential witnesses. The sooner you hire an attorney to protect your rights, the more likely you are to get maximum compensation.
- Be careful about talking to the claims adjuster about the accident. Do not tell the adjuster anything about your own auto insurance (such as what your coverage may include). It is the adjuster’s job to look for weaknesses in your claim that can be exploited at settlement time.
- If you’re hurt, see a doctor as soon as possible after an accident. Proper diagnosis is key to helping prove your claim. Doctors are trained to see and look for things that could get worse over time. If you don’t already have a doctor, your attorney can help find one for you.
- Never, ever sign anything. Refer everything to your lawyer.
- Do not let the insurance company bully you into making a quick decision. The insurer may tell you that your claim will be denied, or that you will lose money by waiting. There are many factors that go into considering the value of your claim. A quick settlement is inevitably a bad settlement.
Ask a Tulsa Personal Injury Attorney for Help
As a Tulsa personal injury attorney with more than 25 years of experience, I know how to deal with insurance companies and get you the maximum compensation for your accident injury. Contact me by e-mail or call 918-745-9960 for a free consultation to talk about your case and your needs. My phone is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is no attorney fee unless I win your case.
Our office is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but we serve clients in Broken Arrow, Jenks, Owasso, Collinsville and Sand Springs.