Quote:
Originally Posted by Inland_Taipan
Thanks all....I've reached out to a couple attorneys nearby to talk about the next step.
I'll definitely hold off speaking with either insurance company until we know more.
Thanks for all the insight-
In my post poker world I work for an insurance company.
There is absolutely no reason you can't talk to your own insurance company. You aren't going to lose anything.
When it comes to getting an ATTY I think there's a dividing line where you should and shouldn't do it. If the injuries are largely soft tissue, and you aren't going to be having any surgery or major medical tests done then I wouldn't retain one. He's going to take a pretty big portion of your settlement in exchange for putting your paperwork in order.
Edit: I also want to point out, not that you feel this way, but just for informational purposes. Getting an attorney isn't going to give you any kind of leverage in your negotiation. They have entire departments with claim reps that do nothing but handle attorney repped files. You are basically paying entirely for their experience in the field. You case isn't going to go to court. So just keep in mind what you are paying for.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if you have an attorney the process of being paid out for the injuries is likely to take way way longer. The attorney will want you to go to every single chiro session or doctor visit he possibly can. If you settle it yourself, you can usually get those things included and then just stop going when you feel better.
I would also make it 100% absolutely clear that the ATTY is not handling you for your vehicle. The ATTY has virtually no impact on the numbers they run for you and has no ability to make them increase the offer. All they will do is take a % of your vehicle settlement for no reason. You spoke about your vehicle being totaled vs not being totaled above....the attorney has no impact on that whatsoever. It's a math problem that the insurance company does.
Last edited by ZBTHorton; 12-31-2014 at 12:52 AM.