Legal Guidance and Assistance for Car Accidents in East Central Ohio
Here in east central Ohio, we have a wide variety of vehicles traveling our roadways daily. Not only do we have cars, trucks, and motorcycles, we also have tractors, combines, and other types of farm equipment. We even have horses and buggies.
People who have been involved in a car accident in the east central Ohio counties of Tuscarawas, Holmes, Carroll, Coshocton, and Harrison need legal guidance and assistance from a local law firm they can trust. That is when they turn to us. With offices in New Philadelphia, Millersburg, Carrollton, Coshocton, and Cadiz, we are conveniently located to serve our neighbors who need our help.
We Look Out for Our Neighbors Because Others Do Not
When you are injured in an auto accident, whether you were driving the vehicle or riding as a passenger, it can have a dramatic impact on your life. Sometimes, the extent of the injuries and damages are apparent, but many times they are not. Regardless of how minor or severe the accident, it can have long term ramifications that need to be fully evaluated so you can properly prepare for the future. Because it can be difficult to fully know how the accident altered your life and how long it will take your injuries to heal, it is helpful to have an experienced local auto accident attorney on your side that knows the impact different types of auto accident injuries have on peoples’ lives and what is fair, adequate, and appropriate compensation.
While they may try to convince you otherwise, insurance companies are not on your side when it comes to paying auto accident claims. Insurance companies are in the business of collecting the most premiums while minimizing the amounts of their pay-outs. When an accident takes place, insurance companies want to limit the compensation to victims as much as possible. The following is a list of common tactics insurance companies use to control the amount they pay:
Insurance Agent Wants to Handle Everything
After an accident, the insurance company may tell you something along the lines of, “Don’t worry, we will handle everything”.
Having the insurance company handle everything will most likely not serve your best interests or provide you the fair amount of compensation for the injuries and damages you sustained in the accident.
Having the insurance company handle everything will only serve to protect the insurance company not you. Only you or someone who you can trust to legally represent you will look out for what is actually best for you.
If we are representing you in your accident claim, you will not have to deal with the insurance company directly. We will do that for you and always be looking out for your best interests.
Settle the Auto Accident Claim Quickly
An accident creates injuries and damages that you can easily identify immediately following the accident. However, an accident may also create injuries and damages that do not show up right away. For this reason, it is very important not to settle an accident claim too quickly. When you do settle an accident claim you want to recover a fair amount that will be adequate for the full extent of the injuries and damages incurred in the accident. This includes both what you know about currently and what may surface in the future.
The insurance company wants to push you to settle a claim quickly in order to limit the payout and avoid having to pay a larger amount for unknown future injuries and damages that may develop as a result of the accident.
When we are representing you in your accident claim, we know the timeframes. There are parts of an accident claim that can be settled relatively quickly, but there are also parts which require patience and evaluation, so you receive the proper and fair amount of compensation.
Applying Pressure
It is a common tactic for insurance companies to apply pressure in order to resolve an accident claim quickly and for the least amount possible.
Frequent telephone calls, email messages, text messages, and even visits to your home with settlement offers that have short deadlines to accept are just a few examples of these pressure techniques. It is best not to succumb to these tactics. It is important to fully understand the extent of your accident injuries and damages before agreeing to a settlement.
Insurance representatives are trained to get you to minimize the extent of your injuries and damages which minimizes the value of your claim and limits their risks.
When we are representing you, you will not be subjected to the pressure tactics of insurance companies. We will talk to the insurance companies directly. They must deal with us, not you.
Five Parts of an Auto Accident Claim
When you are injured in an accident, you are entitled to be compensated in five fundamental ways. Each of these parts must be handled properly in order to receive the full and appropriate amount of compensation:
- Property Damage
- Medical Bills
- Lost Wages
- Permanence
- Pain and Suffering
Property Damage
This is usually the quickest part of any accident claim. It is relatively straight forward and relates to the actual damages and repairs needed for your vehicle and any other personal property. An insurance adjuster will physically inspect your vehicle and prepare an estimate of the repairs.
Once the vehicle is taken to an auto repair shop and actual work begins, there may be other repairs needed that the insurance adjuster did not originally include in the estimate. These repairs get added to the original estimate and the insurance company typically pays the repair shop directly.
Medical Bills
This is exactly what the name says – charges from the medical treatment you have received due to the accident. This may include charges from a hospital, medical specialists, physical therapists, chiropractor, and other medical professionals. The amount of the medical bills can be supported with invoices and statements for the services that have been provided. However, there may be significant future health care necessary due to the injuries sustained in an accident.
Lost Wages
This is compensation for the income you lost by not being able to work due to the accident. It is usually a calculation that involves your hourly rate multiplied by the time you missed. However, there are situations where the calculation can get more complicated. For example, what if you are not able to work again?
Permanence
With some types of auto accident injuries, a victim is never able to fully recover. In other words, his or her injuries are permanent. Many types of permanent injuries are easy to identify like paralysis or amputation. But other types of permanent injuries are more difficult to notice and quickly evaluate. Traumatic brain injuries are one of these types of injuries. They frequently occur with car accidents when the forces fracture or penetrate the skull or causes the brain to collide with the skull. Severe brain injuries often require long-term or permanent care, as well as rehabilitation services to help with balance, coordination, and performing daily activities.
A permanent injury can significantly alter your life and result in the need for lifelong assistance. It is very important to know what level of compensation is justified for a permanent impairment. We have the resources to evaluate these types of injuries so a value can be assigned to a claim.
Pain and Suffering
This part of an auto accident claim is the most complicated and the most subjective in terms of calculating the value. It is the part where an experienced and effective attorney who has handled a large volume of auto accident claims will benefit you the most. Here are just a couple of the most profound questions:
- What is the value of not being able to enjoy the life you had before the accident and cannot have again because of your injuries?
- What is the value of not being able to have the personal relationships with your husband or wife that you had prior to the accident and now, because of your injuries, cannot have again?
These are just a few examples of the difficult issues that must be considered and addressed to receive the full and appropriate amount of compensation for a car accident claim.
Talk It Over with Us, Get Your Questions Answered, and Then Decide
Before making any decisions regarding your auto accident claim and accepting a settlement amount from an insurance company, we invite you to talk it over with us first. We offer free, no-obligation consultations so you can get the feedback and advice you are going to need.
Every accident is different and they all cannot be treated the same with generic answers found online. It takes one-on-one conversations to get the exact feedback and legal guidance you will need. Once you talk about the accident with us, you will be able to confidently decide whether or not you will require our legal guidance and assistance.
Please contact us at your convenience to schedule your free consultation. We are happy to talk to you over the phone or welcome you for an in-person consultation at one of our offices located in New Philadelphia, Millersburg, Carrollton, Coshocton, or Cadiz.