Imagine getting into a major car wreck that was caused by the carelessness of another driver. You’ve suffered a serious injury that a doctor has told you could affect your quality of life for years. One day, an insurance adjuster for the at-fault driver calls you and makes an offer to compensate you for the car accident. What do you do?
Unfortunately, many people just take what the insurance adjuster has to offer without consulting with a personal injury lawyer to determine whether that first amount of money offered in settlement is fair or adequate. Why is this so unfortunate? Because that “generous” offer is often far below what the injured accident victim should receive in compensation for their past and future medical bills, lost wages, temporary or permanent disability, and pain and suffering.
For example, I know a woman who suffered a serious shoulder injury in a car wreck in Norfolk, Virginia (VA). She was the victim of an at-fault driver’s reckless behavior, and a doctor informed her that she would experience recurrent pain throughout her life. This was a serious injury that warranted compensation for pain, suffering and loss of quality of life. But the woman did not speak to a lawyer. She took the insurance adjuster’s offer of $7,000. When I heard about this, I thought it was unfortunate. For that type of injury, the woman should have received a much larger insurance payment to compensate her for the pain she’ll have to endure for the rest of her life.
This is why it is so critical to speak with a Virginia personal injury lawyer if you’ve suffered an injury in an accident. Many times, when an insurance adjuster is made aware that the victim has counsel, the adjuster recalculates how much to propose as a settlement payment that will be enough to avoid a lawsuit. Another important reason to hire a VA injury attorney is that if an insurance adjuster continues to make a low offer, the case may need to go to court, and you want to have someone capable of representing your interests before the judge or jury if necessary. That is why you should not only hire a Virginia injury lawyer, but also hire one who has experience and a track record of winning fair settlements and trial verdicts for injured clients.
We can’t guarantee a large settlement or jury award for you if you hire one of our Virginia Beach, VA-based personal injury lawyers to represent you in your claim, but we do know that insurance adjusters routinely prey on victims who have not consulted an attorney. Do not fall for an insurance adjuster’s tricks, and definitely speak to a Virginia lawyer before accepting an adjuster’s offer.
PA