We don’t want you to get ripped off and left in dire straits because you were tricked into taking an early settlement offer from the insurance company.
When you’ve been injured because of another’s careless actions, it can leave you reeling and in a significant financial pinch. The negligent party and their insurance company know exactly how devastating a personal injury is to the average person. Personal injuries often involve extensive time off work and expensive medical and therapy bills. If you’re self-employed, you don’t have access to workers’ comp or lost wages benefits through an employer to help you weather the storm. A personal injury can ruin your financial goals and your ability to keep a roof over your head. The insurance companies will look to settle with you asap, hoping that you will take their measly offer out of fear and thoughts of scarcity.
At Precision Litigation Northwest, we’ve seen just how shady the insurance companies can be when talking to our car accident clients. We don’t want you to get ripped off and left in dire straits because you were tricked into taking an early settlement offer from the insurance company. The extent of your injuries and the amount of damages you suffer are often not apparent for weeks or months after a car crash. If you’ve been injured in a wreck, contact Precision Litigation Northwest today to explore your options for a lawsuit. There’s no fee unless we get money for your personal injury claim.
If your injuries are small, isn’t it best to settle immediately?
Immediately after a car wreck, your injuries might indeed seem “small,” but they can and often do get worse. What may feel like just a sore or tight lower back a week after the wreck could actually be a fractured vertebra. Stiff shoulders can be indicative of a more extensive whiplash injury, and hitting your head off the window can result in a traumatic brain injury, the symptoms of which may not show up until several weeks after the incident.
No matter how small your injuries seem in the days after a car accident, you need to follow up with your doctors and undergo the necessary medical tests. Extensive injuries often only become apparent through body imaging scans and medical exams, and it can be weeks before you can get in to see a specialist and get a proper diagnosis. Furthermore, you may not always know precisely how much physical and talk therapy you will need right after a wreck. You’re entitled to compensation from the negligent party!
Bottom line? The insurance company is not your friend. They don’t make money fairly compensating accident victims for their injuries. They get profit by selling policies and collecting premiums. Don’t let the insurance company bully you and give you far less than what you deserve. Give our experienced legal team a call today. We’ll give you personalized, quick care and answers to all of your questions related to insurance, personal injury claims, and what you can do to alleviate your financial hardship while we wait for a fair and appropriate offer from the insurance company.
Call us today at 541-948-8830!
How is Oregon’s comparative fault rule used against you?
Oregon reduces what you recover by your share of the blame, and bars recovery entirely if you were more than 50 percent at fault (ORS 31.600). Much of an early phone call is spent looking for a percentage: were you going a little fast, did you brake late, were you on your phone. Every point they can pin on you is a discount on the claim, and an offhand apology hands them that number.
What does signing a release actually close?
Everything. A settlement release ends the claim for the crash, not just the bills you know about today. If a sore back turns into surgery next year, there is no reopening it. Courts generally enforce a signed release even when the person signing did not understand the future cost, so have every release read by an attorney before you sign.
When is it fine to handle the claim yourself?
When nobody was hurt. A dented bumper with clear fault and no injury is a property damage claim: send the repair estimate to the at-fault driver’s insurer and settle it directly. The Oregon State Bar’s guide to what to do after an automobile accident and the state’s auto insurance 101 page cover the basics. Keep the estimate, the photos and the adjuster’s letters together in one folder.
Once an attorney is involved, the adjuster deals with our office instead of you, the claim is valued on medical and wage records and the cost of future care rather than the first offer, and nothing is signed until the extent of your injuries is known. Call 541-948-8830 and we will tell you which kind of claim you have; the consultation is free.
Who pays the medical bills while the claim is open?
Your own policy does, first. Personal injury protection on every Oregon auto policy pays at least $15,000 in medical expenses incurred within two years of the injury under ORS 742.520 to 742.524, regardless of fault, and your health insurance steps in when it runs out. The at-fault driver’s insurer does not pay bills as they arrive; it pays, if at all, at the end. That gap is the pressure an early offer is built on. Unpaid bills feel urgent, but taking a low number to make them stop trades the rest of the claim for a few weeks of relief.
Sources: Oregon State Bar — what to do after an automobile accident · Oregon Division of Financial Regulation — auto insurance 101