We often have potential clients call us when it is too late. How does this happen?
When an insurance company knows one of its’ insureds has been at fault in an accident, they immediately want to limit how much they have to pay as quickly as possible. They know that if a traffic accident victim speaks to a car accident attorney before they talk to the insurance company, the accident victim will be fully informed of their rights to collect monies for personal injuries and will be able to act in their own interests.
What the insurance company hopes will happen is the following:
- They contact the victim as early as at the scene of the scene of the accident. Contacting a victim so early is a legal tactic for insurance companies, even though it is illegal for an attorney to do so. Why is that? The laws of the state legislature are influenced by those with the money to do so (the insurance companies, not your average citizen struggling to make ends meet).
- The insurance company gets the victim to sign a release of all claims as quickly as possible.
- They hope that by dangling $1,000 in the face of an accident victim directly following an accident, the victim will sign and take the money right away.
The victim doesn’t realize that they have just signed away their right to much more money for medical treatment that they are going to need in the future, as well as significant money for pain and suffering.
Once a release is signed in Texas, the case is settled. No more money can be had from the insurance company unless fraud can be proven, which is very unlikely. Often after having this happen to them, an accident victim will call us and say they are hurting and need medical treatment that will cost much more than that for which they settled. Unfortunately, by that point it is too late. The claim is gone.
Always speak to an attorney before talking to the insurance company or signing any documents. At the scene of an accident, only you can advocate for yourself in that moment by refusing to speak with the insurance company and contacting a personal injury attorney. Your attorney will protect your interests and make sure you do not sign away valuable rights.
