The “I’m Fine” Potential Client
The Risks of Handling a Claim Yourself
It’s an almost daily conversation in our office. Potential clients, friends of friends, and family members (!) call asking for advice on how to handle a motor vehicle collision claim. They start the conversation saying “I’m okay and not litigious … I’m not greedy, and want to be fair … I just need the ER bill paid.”
We understand, and that’s all well and good … until it’s not.
It’s all too often that the lingering pain one feels after a collision becomes more than an annoyance, or a laceration becomes unexpectedly infected. Recently, Adeszko, Abate & Green had a client walk away from a collision with only a laceration. She was reticent to retain our services because her injuries “weren’t that bad” and “the insurance company was offering to pay for my medical bills.”
Had this client signed the “generous” initial settlement offer from the at-fault insurance company of her Emergency Room bill plus $500, she would not have been able to re-negotiate when she received the $300,000 medical bill from her ongoing wound care treatment. The “small” laceration from her collision became badly infected in the weeks after the collision. More than 6 weeks after the collision, our client had to be admitted to the hospital on two separate occasions.
Even six months after the collision, her wound had not fully healed. She was continuing to experience complications with her recovery, and not only was at least one future surgery likely, this client had been going for weekly wound care treatments.
A first offer from the at-fault insurance company is almost never fair, and it is assuredly not in your best interest to accept it. 2024 record profits for insurance companies are not built on full and fair offers for injuries. Insurance companies are built to maximize profits for shareholders - not fairly compensate injuries. Delay, Deny, Defend. That’s their motto.
In this case, accepting the initial offer would have left this client on the hook for the obscene medical bills and in significant debt. Instead the team at Adeszko, Abate & Green helped this client navigate the complicated landscape of medical treatment and lien resolution, negotiating a pre-lawsuit settlement for the entire at-fault driver’s insurance policy. She is now debt free and fully compensated for her horrific injury. Call us at 312-500-0707 or email us at info@aaglawgroup.com for a free case evaluation no matter your injuries.