So you've been hurt in a car wreck here in Georgia and it was not your fault. The insurance company reluctantly agreed to pay to have your car repaired. You have been going to your doctor for medical treatment, and your health insurance company has been paying the bills. Surely this is a claim that you can handle on your own against the insurance company and their lawyers, right?
There are far more landmines in your claim than you might realize.
Here are 15 questions that may make you reconsider taking on the insurance company by yourself:
- Are you getting a fair settlement?
- Will you have to repay your health insurance for any amount that they paid to your health care providers? If so, how much?
- Does the settlement leave open the possibility that their insured could come after you for any damages or injuries sustained in the wreck?
- Do you know if you have to send an "ante litem" notice to the Defendant before you can proceed with your claim?
- Do you really have a full understanding of what the future may hold for you medically? And did you get a report from your treating physician(s) to include in your demand package?
- If the claim does not settle, have you irreparably damaged your claim to a point where no lawyer wants to step in and handle it for you?
- Will you know what to do if the insurance company is taking their time getting back with you, or worse yet, completely ignores you?
- Do you have the time to collect, decode, and understand all of your medical records from all of your health care providers?
- Are you available at all times during the work day to make calls and wait for return phone calls from the insurance company or your doctors?
- Will you know how to secure eyewitness statements? What if you can't locate that witness? Do you have the ability, time or resources, to locate him/her?
- Are you comfortable talking with your employer or HR department to get the lost wage information - in a form that the insurance company will understand and not question?
- What if they ask you to sign a medical authorization that allows them access to your entire medical history?
- What if the at-fault driver had no insurance - or not enough?
- What if you are asked to go to a medical appointment to meet with one of the insurance company doctors?
- Do you have the time, the temperament, the patience, the knowledge to handle this claim on your own?
Getting back to the original question... should you hire an attorney?
Not all cases are the same. The best advice we can give you is to talk with an EXPERIENCED personal injury attorney about the facts of your claim.
Here at The Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates our Georgia accident lawyers focus on Personal Injury claims and that gives us the best chance of helping you with the intricate details of your case. Call now for your free consultation at (770) 934-8000 or toll free - 1 (888) 934-8100 or contact us via email: the initial consultation is free.