Insurance Claim Process for Car Accidents
After being involved in a car accident in Salt Lake City, or anywhere in Utah, you probably know that you need to exchange insurance information with the other involved driver and that you need to file a claim.
But you may be unsure of which insurer you’re filing a claim with or how the entire claims process works with the insurance company. We have described in further detail below how insurance claims are handled and some of the most important things you need to know about negotiating with the insurance company.
How Are Insurance Claims Handled?
Utah is a no-fault state when it comes to car accidents in Salt Lake City and insurance. After your accident, your claim will need to be filed with your own insurance company. Because you are required to carry personal injury protection (PIP) coverage, your insurer will be required to cover certain losses instead of having you pursue a claim with the liable party’s insurance company.
After you’ve filed your claim with your auto insurer, you can expect the insurance adjuster to ask you to give a statement about what happened leading up to the accident and how the accident occurred. At this point, you may want to consider having your car accident lawyer step in to handle your case.
Negotiating with the Insurance Company
If you thought the claims process was going to be easier because you were dealing with your own auto insurer, you may be surprised to learn that may not be the case. Most insurance companies are not more loyal to their policyholders than to other claimants. No matter who is filing the claim, the insurance company will be losing money if they have to settle.
For this reason, you could reasonably expect the insurance company to look for any possible opportunities to reduce your injury settlement.
Above, when we mentioned the insurance company requesting a statement, you may have thought this was completely in line with what you would expect. However, this can be a great opportunity for the insurance adjuster to manipulate your statement and make you seem partially liable for your losses. The more fault you are found to carry, the less the insurer will be required to pay out on your claim.
And that’s not all. Some insurers have also been known to make low-ball offers quickly so the injury victim feels tempted into settling for less than they might otherwise be entitled to.
Fortunately, when you have your attorney handle all communications and negotiations with the insurance company on your behalf, you can focus on healing instead of worrying about being taken advantage of by a profit-driven insurance provider.
Contact a Respected Car Accident Lawyer
Do you have additional questions about what to expect from the insurance company with regard to your case specifically? Take advantage of the free, no-obligation consultations we offer to injury victims across Utah.
You can schedule your claim review with a qualified car accident lawyer at Craig Swapp & Associates when you call our office at 1-800-404-9000 or fill out our contact form.
