Handling Florida Car Insurance Companies
After an accident, let our law firm take care of your claim
If you’ve been involved in a car accident, you are likely in for a difficult battle with the insurance company – and you may be blindsided by that conflict. After all, Florida is a “no-fault” insurance state, and your insurance company likely promises that they’ll take care of you in the event of an accident. You pay your premiums, and if something goes wrong, you should be covered.
The reality is that your accident represents exposure to your insurance company’s bottom line, and their priority is to protect it. Also, even though Florida is a no-fault state, in an accident that causes significant injury you will very likely be dealing with an insurance company representing another motorist, or a negligent third party such as a vehicle manufacturer. Getting compensation from those third-party insurers can be especially challenging. Their priority is to protect their client and to reduce their own liability, not to compensate you fairly.
The car accident lawyers at The Law Firm of Pajcic & Pajcic have been taking on the insurance companies – and beating them – for over 40 years. If you’re dealing with an insurance company, this is what you need to know:
You don’t have to speak with them.
Many people ask, should I call my insurance company after my car accident? While you do need to promptly notify your own insurance company that you were involved in an accident, you are under no obligation to give them any information after that initial phone call. Even that notification can and should be quite brief; stick to the facts of what happened and don’t say anything about fault.
If an insurance company representing another motorist calls you, politely decline to speak with them. They will try to get you to say something they can use to justify a denied insurance claim. Instead, contact us right away and speak with an attorney about your legal rights. Once you retain our firm, we will handle all negotiations with the insurance company on your behalf.
They will contest both fault and damages.
Even if fault for your accident seems clear-cut, an insurance company may try to pin the blame on you. Pajcic & Pajcic has represented many drivers who were blamed for accidents they did not cause, and in some cases, were not in a position to dispute. In one such case, we recovered over $11 million for a driver who was wrongly charged with an accident she could not remember due to her injuries.
Even if fault for the accident isn’t in dispute, the insurance company will likely try to downplay the extent of your losses. They may argue that your injuries were due to a pre-existing condition or that a low-speed collision could not have caused a severe injury. To counter these arguments and recover fair compensation, you need an experienced accident lawyer on your side.
Giving a recorded statement will hurt your case.
An insurance company may ask you to provide a recorded statement. This is almost certainly an attempt to get evidence that they can use to reduce or deny your claim. Any recording can be altered or taken out of context, and they may request it soon after the accident, before you’ve had a chance to make sense of what happened.
If you need to provide a statement for an insurance company, we recommend that you come to our office and meet with one of our attorneys to draft a written statement. That way, we can make sure that the statement accurately reflects your side of the story – and protects your legal rights.
They will try to offer you less money than you deserve.
You may be contacted soon after your accident by an adjuster from the insurance company. They will have good news! They are prepared to offer you a settlement. You may be told it’s the best that they can do but they are offering quick payment. As your medical expenses are starting to add up, it can be tempting to accept.
The problem is it will be a lowball offer that doesn’t come close to covering all of the damages you have suffered in the accident. The insurance company knows that. They are just hoping you will accept their offer and go away.