After a car crash, what you will probably notice most of all is how shaken you are. No matter what type of accident you have had, from a fender bender to a catastrophic crash, the adrenaline flow may feel shocking, and it can take some time to get over, depending on the level of trauma.
If you have been in a collision in your car, truck, or motorcycle (or even while traveling on foot or on a bicycle), what is most important at first is to establish your physical well-being, and whether you need an ambulance—or whether any of your passengers do. After taking time to pull your car over, catching your breath, and collecting yourself so that you can get out of the vehicle to further survey and understand what just really happened, you will need to do all the routine exercises such as getting contact information from everyone, establishing whether there are witnesses, taking photos of the scene, and seeking medical help at some point if necessary.
Afterward, if you have been seriously injured due the negligence of another driver, chances are the other insurer will be contacting you quickly. You may not even make it home before the phone starts ringing, and you find yourself suddenly presented with many questions—some of which may seem almost aggressive and difficult to answer. If you are in the hospital, or at home recuperating, speaking to an insurance adjuster can be stressful. This is not something you should have to handle on your own though, and upon speaking with your injury attorney, most likely you will discover they want you to refer all calls and questions to them from that point forward.
Insurance adjusters are skilled at what they do: closing out cases as quickly as possible and paying out as little money as possible! Because of this, if you have a case, you will need an experienced attorney to act in your best interest. And if the insurer shows signs of acting in bad faith, you may need to change direction and hire a bad faith insurance attorney from an office like the Bolender Law Firm.
If you are worried about signs of bad faith, red flags may have erupted like major delays without any reasonable excuse, requests for overwhelming amounts of paperwork, and even intimidation tactics such as instructing you to take a lowball offer (because it may be all you will get) or even going so far as to harass witnesses in the case.
If you need help reviewing your insurance policy, or if you suspect your insurance company may be denying your claim in bad faith, contact the attorneys at the Bolender Law Firm. If a dispute over a claim cannot be easily resolved through a call or written communication, our attorneys will advocate on behalf of policyholders through litigation, arbitration, or non-binding mediation. Our attorneys are experienced in representing clients in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate level. Call us at 310-320-0725 now or submit an easy consultation request online. We are here to help!