When you or somone you love gets injured as the result of another’s negligence, it seems fair that the person who caused the injury should compensate you for your injury. Most people believe that the majority of insurance companies that insure their defendant drivers will do the fair and just thing, and offer the injured victim a fair settlement. The reality, however, is that most insurance companies and their defendants refuse to take responsibility for their actions. In fact, its most common these days for the insurance companies to blame the victims for their own injuries.
Insurance companies profit solely from under-paying injury victims. Insurance companies and their defense attorneys know the law and have millions of dollars in assets to fight these claims. They know that most lay people or unrepresented injury victims are unaware of the full extents of their legal remedies and rights available to them.
Hiring an qualified Kansas City personal injury lawyer, such as those at McCollum & Griggs, LLC, will give you access to the guidance you need to learn your legal rights. Hiring a reputable personal injury law firm helps you build your case, especially when hired at the beginning of the accident process. Qualified personal injury attorneys are especially skilled in negotiating your case with the insurance company, and, if necessary, will take your case to a jury trial. While non-lawyers are capable of negotiating with the insurance company themselves, doing so without legal experience puts them at a distinct disadvantage with the insurance company.
All insurance companies have the same objective — to pay the smallest amount possible for valid, claims. They will do anything possible to sway the balance in their direction during settlement negotiations. They routinely take advantage of their greater knowledge of the law over non-lawyers and use it to accomplish the lowest possible settlement.
Experienced personal injury law firms are valuable in handling all types of insurance claims. They take into consideration all sorts of insurance policies available to their clients, including the client’s own insurance.
Most people do not understand that they may have underinsured motorist coverage (UIM). UIM is often thought of as “gap” coverage for the amount of what the other driver has in insurance limits and for what you have for insurance limits. For example, if you purchase $100,000.00 in underinsured motorist coverage and the defendant driver only has $25,000.00 in liability coverage your policy would pay up to an extra $75,000.00 in coverage for your injuries. That may not always the case. You have to read your policy carefully to know precisely what you have and exactly how much coverage you actually have available.
During discussions to negotiate insurance claims the insurers routinely attempt to acquire statements through confusing and vague questioning in an effort to harm your case should you ultimately decide to file suit. Experienced personal injury law firms, such as the Kansas City injury lawyers at McCollum & Griggs, LLC, will guide you through the procedure and help protect your rights.
A personal injury attorney’s are skilled in obtaining favorable settlements on behalf of clients. Often a claimant’s judgment or settlement gotten with representation will exceed greatly what could have been obtained on their own, even after lawyer fees are deducted. Contact the experienced Kansas City personal injury attorneys such as McCollum & Griggs, LLC for help with your personal injury case.
David L. McCollum is a Kansas City personal injury attorney with the law firm of McCollum & Griggs, LLC in Kansas City, MO. McCollum & Grigg’s practice areas include catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, vehicle accidents, bar & restaurant liability, insurance litigation and drunk driving accidents.