Filing an insurance claim after a car accident can be intimidating. The person who caused the accident may have a different story, and you may be worried about how much you can get. The best thing you can do is call a car accident claims lawyer. The attorneys at Hecht, Kleeger & Damashek P.C. are here to help you through the process.
Can a Lawyer Help Your Claim?
Yes. Insurance companies are difficult to deal with, often make low-ball settlement offers, and may even blame you for the crash. The goal with their tactics is to reduce the amount of money that they have to give you.
To protect your rights and get the maximum amount of compensation possible, you need to work with a car accident claims lawyer who knows how the insurance companies operate.
Communicating With the Insurance Company
You should never speak with the insurance company before consulting a lawyer. The insurance company will try to use your own words against you, even if you are not at fault. Let your attorneys communicate what happened to the insurance company and negotiate to get you a fair car accident settlement.
Filing The Car Accident Claim
The New York car accident claims process can be complex. You don’t have to navigate it alone. Let a knowledgeable car accident lawyer file your claim and see it through to the end.
If the insurance company refuses to negotiate or will only make a low-ball offer, we aren’t afraid to take them to court. Sometimes filing a car accident lawsuit is the only way to let the insurance company know you mean business.
Car Accidents
Get Your Car Accident Insurance Claim Started
The first step in making a car accident insurance claim is to contact an attorney. Your attorney will call the insurance company and report the accident to them. They will make sure the insurance company knows your side of the story.
Your attorney will also send the insurance company a demand letter. The demand will summarize the value of your claim and establish liability in the at-fault party.
In most cases, the insurance company will either deny your claim or respond with a lower settlement offer. That doesn’t have to be the end of negotiations, though. If they refuse to accept a reasonable offer, your attorney can file a car accident lawsuit.
Once a car accident lawsuit is filed, most insurance companies significantly increase their settlement offer. They don’t want the expenses of a lengthy discovery process, where both parties hire experts and exchange evidence. This can take months or even years sometimes.
If the insurance company refuses to make a reasonable settlement, your car accident claims lawyer can take the case to court. There, a jury will decide how much your claim is worth.
Don’t Handle a Car Accident Claim Alone
The biggest reason you shouldn’t handle a car accident claim alone is that you will nearly always get more money if you work with an attorney. The average compensation in a personal injury case without a lawyer is $17,600. With a lawyer, claimants get an average of $77,600. Thus, even if you end up paying some of your recoveries to an attorney, you will still end up with more money in the end.
You also have a better chance of getting money in general if you use an attorney. More than 90% of people who use a lawyer get a payout in personal injury claims. People who don’t use a lawyer only get a payout 51% of the time.
Do I Have a Car Accident Claim?
It’s impossible to know whether you have a successful claim until you speak with an attorney. During your free consultation with HKD, we will listen to your story and analyze the evidence you have. We will let you know if we think you have a strong claim and how much we believe it’s worth.
In general, you may have a valid car accident claim if someone else caused your crash due to negligence, intentional, reckless, or wrongful actions. If another driver, company, or person is at-fault for your damages, then you have a right to file a claim against their insurance company or file a personal injury lawsuit.
Call HKD for Help With Your Car Accident Claim
If you are involved in a car accident, you need to make a claim as soon as possible. The evidence in car crashes fades quickly, so it’s important to start an investigation right away. The experienced New York City car accident lawyers at Hecht, Kleeger & Damashek P.C. are here to help.
Call HKD today at 212-490-5700 or use the contact form for a free consultation. There’s no fee unless we win.
CLIENT REVIEWS
07/05/2015
After meeting a half dozen lawyers at different firms, I decided to go to Hecht, Kleeger and Damashek. As soon as I met Jon Damashek, I knew I had to look no further. Mr. Damashek made me feel at ease…
5
Michael R., HKD CLIENT