Is an Attorney Necessary to get a Fair Sum of Money for an Auto Crash?
The insurance company wants you to give a recorded statement. Should you do so without a lawyer? They want to make you an offer right away. Should you take that offer? The insurance company has admitted fault for the accident? Does that mean that they are going to act fair towards you and not in bad faith?
Here's our experience with Progressive insurance company. First of all, they will "nickel and dime "you to death. It will start from the property damage phase. Although you could look at the Blue Book and NADA or Edmunds used car prices and any other reliable source that tells you what you're damaged car or totaled car is worth, they will almost always offer you less than what it is worth, or less than the damage. If they can save thousands, they will. If they can save nickels, they will. They are trained to ‘nickel and dime’!
It is as a result of our experience with Progressive Insurance Company, that we give them the "F" grade for their claim handling practices. Few companies earn such a rating. Take a look at our Insurance Company Ratings page. We have had cases where an excellent "A" rated insurance company is willing to offer $20,000 to $50,000 for the same case that Progressive would offer three or $4000 for.
Notice that the biggest advertisers on television are actually some of the worst insurance companies, which includes Allstate and State Farm, both companies which are just a smidgen ahead of Progressive as terrible insurance companies to deal with.
Progressive Insurance Company is actually one of the few companies that have their own form of "ambulance chasers". They have vehicles that actually will go out to the scene or arrive unannounced to a person’s home to offer them some measly quick settlement.
The problem with a quick settlement is somebody who was just in an accident, who's feeling some pain, may end up having a lifetime of pain. When they make that one or two or $10,000 offer to you right then and there, how do you know your case isn’t worth five or 10 or 50 times more than that? How do you know you're not going to have a lifetime of medical treatment as a result of that crash that you were just in?
First of all, never give them a recorded statement if they are not your own insurance company. If they are your own insurance company that you have to go after, or they are requiring your statement, we strongly recommend that before you give one and potentially damage your case, that you speak with an attorney.
The reason it's important not to give a statement is that every time a person gives a statement, they say something a little different. Another reason is that many times an insurance company adjuster may ask a vague or ambiguous question. Your answer may create problems simply by the way the question was asked and you misunderstand. Perhaps you offered more information than necessary. Lawyers very often in deposition or in court proceedings such as trial do not ask good questions all of the time. So how can you expect insurance adjusters, who are trained for a few months, at most, and not for three years, as is a lawyer, to ask you appropriate questions?
We are very selective of the cases that we take against Progressive Insurance Company. That is because they constantly "low-ball". Almost invariably, the only way you can get true money from them in 90% of the cases is if you go to court. The problem is, going to court is very expensive, so we can only do so on the more serious cases.
If you have a minor back or neck injury, just expect that they're going to make you a "lowball" offer. If you have a more serious injury, call us, and we will let you know whether we think we can help you. But don't wait! Don't give them the statement, and think that they are on your side. They are not! They may sound sweet and caring, but they don't care! They are interested in only one thing, and that is saving their company money! Really, it is a shame that they are allowed to be called "insurance" companies. A better name than "insurance companies" would be to call them “take your money companies”. That's because they're very happy with you when they're taking your money, and not paying out claims, but when it's time to pay out claims, they can get pretty frugal.
Although some websites rate Progressive higher, we find that here in Florida, especially in South Florida, that Progressive is probably the worst major insurance company to deal with.
Do you need an attorney for your injuries? Not sure if you have a case? Call our office now at (954) 833-1440 and see if we can help you. The consultation is free and there’s no wait time to speak with a representative from our office during office hours.