Regardless of where you live, the law requires that you carry auto insurance. If you plan on driving any vehicle, be it your own or somebody else’s, you must be insured. If you\’re caught driving without insurance, you\’ll receive a citation and there\’s a chance your license could be suspended. This is why it\’s so frustrating when you get into an accident and your insurance company refuses to pay your claim. Why pay for insurance your whole life if it doesn\’t cover your injuries when you get into an accident? Our auto accident lawyers in Athens understand how you feel. A lot of our clients are in the same boat as you. They pay their insurance premiums all their life and then their insurance company failed them when they needed them the most.
There’s always the chance that it was the other drivers insurance that refused to pay your claim. Regardless of the reason, as long as the policy was valid, your Georgia personal injury attorney can help you file an appeal. If this doesn\’t work, you will have the option of filing a lawsuit against the other driver.
Here, we will briefly explain the reasons why the insurance company may have denied your claim. We will also explain how your auto accident lawyer in Athens can help you file an appeal. Finally, we\’ll discuss what happens if you do decide to file suit.
Why Would the Company Deny Your Insurance Claim?
The insurance company may have decided to deny your claim for any number of reasons. If they denied your insurance claim because the policy wasn\’t valid, there\’s not much your Georgia personal injury attorney can do. In that case, your only option will be filing a personal injury lawsuit against the other driver. However, for most of the other reasons, your lawyer can file an appeal.
Some of the more common reasons why your insurance claim may be denied include the following:
- The insurance company thinks you caused the crash
- The insurance adjuster believes you\’re exaggerating your injuries
- The policy was canceled or lapsed for non- payment
- You have a history of filing insurance claims
- Your claim is large, and the insurance company thinks they can settle for much less later on
While many of these reasons may not seem fair to you, you must remember that insurance companies are not in the business of paying claims. If they paid every claim, that crossed their desk, they\’d be out of business in no time. What you can do is to have your auto accident lawyer in Athens file an appeal. Hopefully, the insurance adjuster will accept your appeal and approve your claim. If this happens, you should receive your insurance check in a week or two. If, however, your claim is still denied, Our Georgia personal injury attorneys can file suit on your behalf.
Your Auto Accident Lawyer in Athens Can File an Appeal
Filing legal action is always the last resort. If it\’s possible for your auto accident lawyer in Athens to settle your case, that\’s what they\’re going to do. The first thing we\’ll try to do is file an appeal of your original claim. This will give the insurance adjuster a chance to reconsider their original decision. Once they know you have an attorney representing you, they may take your claim more seriously.
The only problem when you file an appeal is that the same person who originally denied your claim will make the decision on the appeal. The odds of getting somebody to change their mind without any new information are slim to none. That\’s why your Georgia personal injury attorney will look hard to find new evidence that helps support your position. If they\’re successful in doing this, there is a chance that your claim may be paid. However, even if your claim isn\’t paid you still have options.
You Always Have the Option of Filing Suit
Nobody wants to file suit if they don’t have to. They certainly don’t want to go to trial. Trials are expensive and time consuming. Plus, there’s always the chance that you’ll lost at trial. Rather than risk this, your Georgia personal injury attorney will file suit with the hope that they’ll be able to negotiate a settlement.
Once you file your initial complaint, the defendant’s lawyer will have a chance to respond. They will more than likely respond with a counterclaim or motion to dismiss. Both of these things are meant to intimidate you. There’s no way your auto accident attorney in Athens is going to be afraid of an insurance adjuster. They have been dealing with insurance adjusters their entire career. While they won’t back down, they will work hard to negotiate a settlement with the other driver’s attorney.
Reach Out to a Seasoned Auto Accident Lawyer in Athens, Georgia Today
If you\’re injured in an auto accident and the insurance company refused to pay your claim, you do have options. You can always ask your auto accident lawyer in Athens to file an appeal on your behalf. You can also file suit against the other driver.
If you decide to file suit, the defendant\’s insurance company is legally required to defend them. This means that they\’ll probably refuse to settle your claim at first. The way we see it, the same people who denied your claim twice are now handling the other driver’s defense. They\’re likely going to make the same arguments in court that they made when you first submitted your claim.
What usually happens in these cases is that our Georgia personal injury attorneys negotiate a settlement at some point. In fact, more than 95% of all personal injury lawsuits in Georgia settled long before trial. This is why we recommend that you call our office and schedule your free, initial consultation as soon as possible after your accident. Our attorneys can help you file your initial claim which will increase the chances that it\’s paid. And if your claim is denied, at least you\’ll have a legal professional in your corner throughout the legal process.
Since your initial consultation doesn\’t cost you anything you really have nothing to lose.