When you get injured in a car accident, you only have one chance to secure just compensation. If you accept a settlement check for too little too soon, you will be letting the insurance companies off the hook and you may have no other way to recover your losses. This makes hiring an experienced Norwalk car accident lawyer critically important, and you should speak with an injury lawyer before you report the accident to your insurer.
If you have already contacted your insurance company, that’s okay. The next time they contact you (and they will contact you, because they want you to settle before you learn the full value of your claim), simply tell the adjuster that you are seeking legal representation. Let the adjuster know that he or she can expect to hear from your Norwalk car accident attorney soon, and politely refuse to answer when he or she continues to push and prod you for information.
Being injured in a car accident can be a traumatic experience. Having to deal with the insurance companies can make the experience even worse. At Berkowitz Hanna, we work hard to help car accident victims in Norwalk recover just compensation as quickly as possible. Once you engage our firm to represent you, we will immediately begin communicating with the insurance companies on your behalf. Our Norwalk car accident attorneys and professional staff members will then work closely with you to make sure that we are seeking full compensation for all of your accident-related losses.
In most cases, seeking financial compensation after a car accident involves proving that the other driver was at fault in the collision. This fault, or “negligence,” can take many different forms. Examples include:
Under certain circumstances, it may also be possible to file a claim against the other driver’s employer (or their insurance company). Employers are generally liable for their employees’ negligent acts within the scope of employment, and this includes driving for job-related purposes. Employers can also be held directly liable for mistakes such as hiring unlicensed drivers and asking their employees to spend too many hours behind the wheel.
A third option involves seeking compensation from the manufacturer or seller of a defective product. Vehicle defects are alarmingly common, and they routinely cause and contribute to accidents and accident-related injuries. If your (or the other driver’s) brakes failed, or if one of your airbags never deployed, these are both examples of situations in which you could have a product defect claim – possibly in addition to a negligence claim against the other driver.
One of the biggest risks of trying to deal with the insurance companies on your own involves settling before you know the full extent of your losses. Under Connecticut law, accident victims are entitled to just compensation for their current and future losses, and this includes losses that are both financial and non-financial in nature. When we represent you, one of our top priorities will be to work closely with you, your doctor, and our trusted experts to determine how much you are entitled to recover for:
While our law firm will work diligently to negotiate a favorable settlement, it is ultimately up to you as to how and when to resolve your case. If you receive a fair settlement offer, you can accept and your case could be over relatively quickly. If you feel that the insurance company’s best offer is not enough, then you have every right to decline the offer and take your case to trial. As your legal counsel, our role is to help you make an informed decision, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that you are fully satisfied with the outcome of your case.
If you have been seriously injured in a car accident in Norwalk, we encourage you to contact us right away to discuss your case. A Norwalk car accident lawyer can deal with the insurance companies for you and help you avoid mistakes that could jeopardize your claim. To get started with a free, no-obligation consultation, call or tell us how to reach you online now.
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