How to Deal with Insurance Companies After an Injury in MA

The best way to deal with the insurance companies after any type of accident is to contact our experienced personal injury lawyers. We can be your voice with the insurance companies and your advocate throughout the process. Our lawyers work step by step to prepare your case, so that when any settlement discussions begin, we have all the information we need from you, witnesses, accident reconstructionists, and your doctors.

We understand what arguments insurance companies will make to try to deny or limit your claim. Our team knows how much your case is worth and how much the insurance companies are likely to offer. Many personal injury cases do settle for fair and just amounts. When insurance companies refuse to make reasonable offers, we’re ready to present your case before a local judge and jury.

Which insurance companies pay accident claims?

There are different types of insurance companies, depending on the type of legal claim you have. Generally, the following types of insurance companies will be involved in your case.

The insurance companies for the defendants

The following types of insurance companies handle the following types of insurance claims.

• Vehicle accidents. The owner of the car, truck, motorcycle, bus, or other vehicle should have liability insurance with their own carrier. Generally, drivers are required to have minimum insurance coverage (including personal injury protection coverage). Other defendants may also be liable for your damages. These defendants may include an employer, a manufacturer of defective car parts, a seller of alcohol to someone who was visibly intoxicated, and other defendants.
• Medical malpractice. Hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers should compensate you for any damages that you prove their insureds caused.
• Property owners. In Massachusetts, property owners should have insurance for slip and fall accidents, negligent security attacks, and other types of accidents.
• Product defects. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers should all have insurance if one of their products is defective and the defect causes harm.
• Sexual assaults. Businesses and organizations should have liability insurance if they are responsible for any sexual assaults.

Other defendants should have insurance for any harm they cause to anyone they owe a duty of care – if they breach that duty.

Your insurance companies

If you can afford coverage, everyone in the Boston region should have health insurance for themselves and their families.

Vehicle owners should also have or consider having the following types of insurance in the event of an accident:

• Uninsured motorist coverage
• Underinsured motorist coverage
• Collision insurance
• Comprehensive insurance
• Gap coverage

What you can and can’t say to insurance companies?

If you are involved in a car accident that causes bodily injury, you have a duty to report the crash to the police. They will collect information from you, which might include your insurance information.

Generally, you should inform your own vehicle insurance company that you were in an accident. This information includes the date and time of the accident, where the accident happened, whether anyone was hurt, and the damage to your vehicle. Normally, your insurance company will conduct its own investigation or coordinate its investigation with your lawyer’s investigation.

You should not speak with anyone, such as an adjuster who works for an insurance company, for any of the parties involved, especially the potential defendants. There are several reasons why talking with an opposing insurer is bad policy. These adjusters:

• Aren’t your friends
• They are looking for ways to deny liability
• They are looking for ways to say your injuries aren’t very serious
• They are looking for any statements or evidence that will negatively affect your credibility

You should NEVER discuss a settlement with an opposing insurance company. They will not offer what you deserve. Once you settle with them, you can’t ask for more money if you need more medical care, it takes you more time to return to work than you anticipated, your injuries are worse than you imagined, or your case is actually worth more than their settlement offer for any reason.

How do insurance companies try to undervalue your claim?

Some of the strategies insurance companies use to deny or reduce your claim are:

• To use your own words against you. Just saying, “I’m sorry,” even though you were just sorry someone else may have been hurt, not that you caused the accident, can be used against you. Any other words or statements that indicate you may have been partially or fully responsible can affect your claim.
• The insurance company may aggressively try to speak with your witnesses. It helps if we speak with your witnesses before the insurance companies for the defendants do.
• Insurance companies will look for ways to say your injuries aren’t that severe. Anything that you say that indicates you can function, work, or do daily tasks can be used against you.

Depending on the type of case you have, there are other reasons why you should NOT speak with the insurance companies or any of the defendants.

How our personal injury lawyers deal with the insurance companies on your behalf.

Your first priority after any accident is to seek competent medical care. This usually means getting to an emergency center in or near Boston. One of the reasons to contact our lawyers is that we can help gather your medical records and review your medical treatment.

Your second priority after an accident or any type of negligence that causes injuries is to speak with experienced Boston personal injury lawyers. We can speak with the various insurance companies for the defendants and for you. Our team can anticipate and work to counter the many arguments and defenses that both the defense insurance companies and your own insurance companies may try to assert.

We’re here to thoroughly prepare the liability part of your case and the damage part of your case. When you come to us, we can evaluate the true value of your claim, and fight back against low-ball offers.

Don’t take chances. If you’re in an accident, contact Santoro & Gray today.