Beyond physical injuries, pain, and suffering, auto accidents can be devastating to your mental and financial well-being. Factor in the weight and momentum of a massive truck, and the stress and destruction of a truck accident increases exponentially.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident in the San Luis Obispo area, leave the legal details to a quality California truck accident lawyer. Rather than trying to haggle and fight insurers yourself, trust a San Luis Obispo truck accident lawyer who has dealt with insurance companies since 1980.
The Ernst Law Group has been fighting for victims of San Luis Obispo car and truck accidents like you for four decades. We have won hundreds of millions for our clients over the years. We look forward to hearing the details of your case and getting started on your fight for an adequate settlement to cover your damages.
Give us a call at (805) 541-0300 or contact us online for a free consultation at no risk or obligation to you.
Dealing With Insurance After a California Truck Accident
Insurance companies are well-known for sending a settlement release with the promise of immediate funds to cover medical necessities or vehicle repairs soon after an accident. They are hoping you will quickly sign and return their release because it will keep you from pursuing any damages down the line. The amount available if you are to sign this initial offer is the only amount you will be able to recover, no matter how bad your damages are.
Be very careful here! If you intend to sign, consider your future medical expenses, lost wages from missed work, and other financial losses, as well as your pain and suffering. It would also benefit you to at least speak with a truck accident lawyer in San Luis Obispo to make sure the insurance company isn’t using any deceptive language in their agreement. If you sign their release and collect their initial settlement offer, that’s it!
It’s often recommended to avoid accepting this initial offer, as it’s usually an attempt to lowball you into a settlement that’s far less than your damages are actually worth. Insurance companies associated with commercial trucking companies know how much damage their clients can cause in an accident, and they will use tactics to get victims to settle for less.
For this reason, you must go into these battles with an experienced legal team on your side.
Insurance Company Tactics
Freight companies and truck drivers usually have a lot more insurance coverage than a normal passenger vehicle because of the value of their trucks and cargo. The average cost of a commercial truck accident is $120,000. The insurance companies that cover these vehicles are often aggressive and tricky.
Below are some insurance company techniques you may be likely to encounter after a San Luis Obispo truck accident:
Get You to Make a Statement
Insurance representatives are trained negotiators who are likely to ask you questions that sound innocent but may actually be intended to get you to admit to fault or otherwise lessen your potential recoverable damages.
You do not legally have to speak with a representative from another driver’s insurance company. The only information required is a notice of a claim, basic contact information, and confirmation of broad details noted in the police report.
Yet, many insurers will try to get you to make a recorded statement or ask leading questions. In many cases, they will contact you first. They hope you’ll say anything that they can use to prove that claimed damages did not directly arise from the policyholder’s negligence.
The Silent Treatment
If you deny their initial settlement offer, the insurance company will likely begin pretending you don’t exist. They will often wait until they are legally required to respond to any court actions or communication, knowing full well that you’re struggling with medical bills, lost work, and pain and suffering.
This can make people desperate for communication and eager to consent to any agreement out of fear they won’t get another offer. Unfortunately, there’s not too much that can be done about this tactic. However, a good relationship between your lawyer and the legal team of the insurance companies can help speed up these periods of waiting.
Monitoring Social Media
A newer tactic that has become common practice amongst insurers is to monitor the social media profiles of their claimants, especially in high-value cases. They are looking for any evidence at all that your injuries or pain and suffering aren’t what you have claimed them to be.
Be very careful on social media when in the midst of a personal injury case. Don’t post pictures, videos, or any status update that could suggest you’re not as badly injured as you actually are.
This is especially important if your treating physician has ordered you to limit your activities or if your claim states that you are unable to engage in activities like you once were.
Fighting for Fair Compensation After a San Luis Obispo Truck Accident
As you spend your energy recovering and fighting to rebuild your life, the insurance companies will be preparing to keep money from you. Going into a courtroom to fight back is the right idea, but it should be considered a last resort until all negotiation options have been exhausted.
Fight for the maximum amount for your San Luis Obispo truck accident injuries by teaming up with an experienced legal team in your area. The Ernst Law Group has won many cases like yours in the last 40 years, and our legal team wants to help take the pressure off of you in this difficult time.
Call us at (805) 541-0300 or contact us online, and we can go over the details of your case in a no-cost, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.
