Speeding Car Accidents
Getting into a car accident in St.Louis at any speed can be catastrophic, and even fatal, but as the speed of the collision increases, so do the possibilities for more injuries and more serious damage. This is just one reason why speed limits are such an integral part of our public roads, and one of the reasons why the St. Louis police department, as well as every other police departments across the country, set speed traps on popular roads. Unfortunately, no amount of speed limit signs and speed traps will every eliminate the issue of speeding drivers, meaning that there is additionally no chance that speeding car accidents in St. Louis will ever be fully eradicated. Luckily, there is hope for victims of these accidents.
If you have been involved in a car accident that another driver caused because they were speeding or otherwise operating their vehicle recklessly or irresponsibly, contact the team at Hipskind & McAninch, LLC now for a free initial consultation about your situation and how we can help. This consultation is a great opportunity for you to learn about how claims, settlements, and lawsuits work when they involve accidents similar to your own, and we will be more than happy to go through our history of successful cases representing clients in similar situations as your own.
We understand that this can be a difficult and overwhelming time in your life, which is why we focus on helping victims of these accidents get the justice and compensation that they truly deserve. Read more below to get a better idea of how an insurance company reaches a decision on the amount to offer you, and how we can help you counter this offer in order to negotiate a settlement that is fair and warranted. Contact us now for your free consultation.
How Does an Insurance Company Decide What To Offer Accident Victims?
When you initially file a claim after a car accident, the insurance company representing the responsible driver will assign a claims adjuster to your case who will spend the next few weeks investigating the entire situation before reaching a decision about what amount of money to offer you as a settlement. As you watch your medical bills grow and you continue to miss work while you are focusing on recovery, this settlement offer may seem like the best chance to get back to normal as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this is not truly the case.
When an insurance company makes an offer to a victim, they are offering the least amount of money possible that they believe will still help them avoid additional legal issues. They rely on inexperienced victims without an aggressive car accident lawyer in St. Louis representing their case, meaning that they can avoid negotiations and hopefully the victim will not know the true value of their injuries. This is where we can help.
Negotiating a Settlement After a Speeding Car Accident
When you are first given an offer from an insurance company, they will try to position it as the best possible amount you will receive, and that you can either take it or leave it. Realistically, this is just the start of an ongoing series of negotiations to get you the amount that you rightfully deserve. If you work with an attorney during the entire claims investigation, your lawyer will have time to come to their own determination about what you deserve and why you deserve it, meaning that once the initial offer comes in you will be able to quickly counter with a better settlement amount.
These negotiations will continue until your team and the insurance company either reach an agreement or determine that you are unable to find common ground, at which point your personal injury attorney in St.Louis will file the necessary paperwork with the Missouri courts and initiate an official lawsuit. Lawsuits take longer and cost more money than negotiations, so it is important that you and your lawyer have discussed all possible options and determined that this is the best course of action.