Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
In most injury cases, you’ll be dealing with insurance companies. For example, if you’ve been in a boating or car accident, you’ll be dealing with the insurance company covering your vehicle or boat.
If your home has suffered damage, you’ll be working with your homeowner’s policy provider. Even if you’re injured by a faulty appliance in your home, you’ll probably be dealing with your medical insurance provider as you seek medical treatment.
Chances are, you’re not an insurance expert. And, if you’re like most Miami, Hollywood, and Florida residents, you haven’t been taught all the laws that can affect your insurance claim.
You trust your insurance company—the one you’ve been paying premiums to—to do right by you. At Flaxman Law Group, we often hear from people who have been injured and who run into problems with their insurance company. They don’t know if what the insurance company offered is fair. They often don’t know what to do next.
If you’re injured in Florida and need to file an insurance claim, here’s what you need to know:
- The offer your insurance company makes isn’t written in stone. You can negotiate with insurance companies and the amount you’re offered at first isn’t necessarily the last offer your insurer is willing to make. However, your insurance provider has teams of attorneys with extensive negotiation experience working on their behalf. This gives them a significant advantage—unless you also have an experienced attorney on your side.
- Your insurer isn’t transparent. Your insurer may not reveal how they arrived at their decision about your case. They certainly won’t reveal that they could pay you more. An attorney working for you can spot lowball offers and knows how to break down every expense you face because of your injury, which helps him or her negotiate on your behalf.
- You may not know how much your case is worth yet. If you haven’t had this injury before, you may not know what to predict. Many insurers also try to resolve claims fast, and your doctor may still be running tests. You may not have a full diagnosis yet. Your attorney negotiates by making sure you have an accurate diagnosis and full understanding of all the injuries you’ve suffered. This is the only way to accurately predict how much your injuries may cost.
- Your insurance company is highly motivated to pay you less. Insurance companies have shareholders who invest in them. In turn, shareholders benefit with an insurer posts higher profits. One way insurance companies can post better profits is by paying less in claims. To keep shareholders happy, insurance companies have an incentive to reject claims and to pay out low amounts.
- There are laws protecting you from bad actors. While insurers may be beholden to their shareholders, they still need act in accordance with the law and must act in good faith. If your insurer breaks the law, you may have a claim against your insurer.
- You may have more options than insurance. If your injuries were caused by someone’s negligence, you may have a legal claim against those liable parties and may be able to seek compensation through a lawsuit. It’s important to determine whether you want to pursue this type of claim before you sign any insurance paperwork. Once you accept insurance money, your rights to seek compensation will be impacted. This is why you might want to speak to a personal injury attorney in your Florida area before you make any decisions. Your attorney can review any options you have.
The Best Way to Negotiate with Insurance Carriers
Ultimately, the best way to deal with insurers is to leave it to someone who knows about insurance. A personal injury attorney, for example, has extensive negotiation experience in most cases. An attorney, unlike your insurer, works in your best interests and can help you uncover your options for compensation.
An attorney can take care of the details of filing a case or negotiating your claim. If you’d like to know more, call Flaxman Law Group at 866-352-9626. We can arrange a free, no obligation consultation with a personal injury attorney in your South Florida community. The legal team at our Miami, Homestead, and Hollywood offices have more than 60 years of combined experience and have already recovered over $100 million for injured people across South Florida.