We received a phone call last week from a person, a lady, who had been in a car wreck with her husband and 4 kids.
As previously noted, car accidents seem to be on the rise in our little big town.
Due to the nature of the call, Mrs. Swaim suggested I speak to the prospective client directly.
And so I did. What the prospective client was asking seemed a little fishy.
“How much would it cost to be treated? You know, like, can I get an estimate on how much it would cost for my family to get checked? I mean the kids seem fine, but me and my husband can hardly walk.”
There is one big thing wrong with this question. Estimating how badly someone is hurt over the phone and then trying to put a price tag on the care, for six people, is not one of my super powers. And really it isn’t anyone else’s either.
“Why do you ask?” was my reply. I thought this was a brilliant question. “Is the insurance adjuster trying to get you to settle your claim?”
“Yes,” she said, “they called right away and wanted to settle to save us the hassle.”
“I thought so. Speaking from experience, that is a bad idea. Once you sign off on a claim, there is no going back. If you or your family have any lingering physical problems, then you are stuck. The financial responsibility for anything after you settle is on you. I don’t give legal advice, but DON’T DO IT! I can send you the names of two people we trust to give you legal advice before you settle. And the call is free.”
So, there it is. You pay money for years into an auto insurance company and then they want to get out of their responsibility. Sometimes they will even resort to scare tactics that stress their clients into being afraid they will get nothing unless they settle now.
Folks, this is not a rant about all insurance companies, because they are not all the same. But if their primary focus seems to be getting a return for their investors and not taking care of you, then it is time to shop around.
Don’t fall for it. Don’t settle. Get some advice. We know people in the legal business that give sound advice… for free.
Let us know if we can help.
Cheers,
ks
If you missed the last Car Crash Question the link is here.
Image by Tumisu from Pixabay