Insurance Companies: Not Your Friend In An Injury Case

We were recently retained by a client who survived an incredibly tragic and violent auto accident, after which she was hospitalized with broken bones and numerous other injuries. In addition to her physical pain, she now also suffers psychological after-effects from the accident, including anxiety, PTSD, and difficulty sleeping among others. Her medical bills total about half of the driver's relatively high policy limit, which means her recovery for pain and suffering likely won't be nearly enough considering what she's been through and will continue to go through.

Insurance companies aren't interested
in paying you fairly or quickly after an injury.

For reasons I'll explain, the other driver's insurance company has still not paid the policy limit even though it is now nearly five months after the accident. Despite knowing the facts of her injuries and having access to the bills, the company delayed, saying they needed to get their own copies of the medical records. That has taken an untold amount of time while our client's bills have piled up and, in some cases, went to collection. I believe this is nothing more than a delay tactic designed to pay her as little as possible while earning as much interest on the policy proceeds as possible. This is not uncommon.

Fed up with arguing with this insurance company, stressed beyond the breaking point, and still suffering from the accident, our client retained us to take on the insurer for her. While we've only just gotten involved, I have little doubt we will be able to 1) get her the full policy limits relatively quickly; and 2) negotiate her medical bills down dramatically so as to ensure her total recovery is at least equal to and likely better than what she'd have gotten if she hadn't hired us.

If you find yourself arguing with another driver's insurer about who is at fault or the cost of your medical treatment, or if you're tired of delay and stonewalling while your bills pile up, consider hiring a qualified attorney to handle your personal injury case to improve your recovery and save time.



Chris Gansen is an attorney practicing personal injury and trial law in Los Angeles, CA. He specializes in catastrophic injury cases and products liability. You can find him on Twitter @thegansen or on his law firm's web site, www.gansenlawgroup.com and LaAutoLaw.com.