New Jersey Car Crash Lawyers
Dealing With Insurance
Insurance companies can be a headache even when you're healthy. But after a serious car accident, dealing with insurance can be a nightmare. Auto insurance is complicated in New Jersey, and some insurers don't deal with their customers honestly. Faced with a high claim, some insurance adjustors find reasons to deny your coverage, delay your claim unreasonably and more, even though you've paid all of your premiums. If you're a victim of this kind of behavior, it pays to know your rights. If necessary, the Princeton car accident lawyers at Lependorf & Silverstein are prepared to go to court to enforce your rights.
Before you talk to your insurance company, you should make sure you understand your own auto insurance coverage. Most Drivers in New Jersey have no-fault (Personal Injury Protection) insurance. What this means is that your own auto insurance company pays your medical bills, regardless of who was at fault for the accident. If you have not opted out of the verbal threshold, the insurance companies will argue that you are not entitled to payments for non-economic losses like pain and suffering, and you cannot sue the other driver unless you were seriously injured or lost a loved one. In certain circumstances you can collect for pain and suffering from your own insurance company, such as where there was a hit and run accident, or if the responsible party did not have sufficient insurance. This is handled under your UM (uninsured motorist) or UIM (underinsured motorist) portion of your insurance coverage. If you have selected the "No Threshold" option, you are free to sue anyone who is at fault for the accident, regardless of the severity of the injuries. If you're not sure whether you can sue, call Lependorf & Silverstein for a free consultation with a skilled New Jersey auto accident attorney.
When dealing with your insurance company, always remember that they have a financial interest in denying your claim. And the claims adjustor -- the person who takes your accident report and determines what you're owed -- works for the insurance company, not you. You should be polite, but you should also protect your rights. Make sure that you report your accident as soon as reasonably possible. If you wait too long, the insurer might think you're being dishonest and deny your claim. You should also be wary if any insurance company asks you to sign anything, especially in exchange for money. You could sign away your right to collect more money later on, so you should only do it if you understand the offer and the language in the agreement, and you're sure it's high enough to cover all of your costs.
After you file a New Jersey auto insurance claim, the insurance may get back to you with a financial settlement offer. Most people don't realize that you don't have to accept this offer -- you're free to negotiate. You might want to do this if the insurer has denied your claim for false reasons, asked your medical insurer to pay for medical bills, or offered you far less money than your claim is worth, all of which are common complaints in New Jersey auto insurance cases. In these negotiations, you should make sure you can prove what your claim is worth and know your legal rights. If that doesn't work, it may be necessary to file an auto accident lawsuit. Intentionally denying a legitimate claim is illegal behavior. You don't have to put up with it.
If you need help dealing with a difficult insurance company, Lependorf & Silverstein can help. Even if you don't plan to go to court, our experienced Princeton New Jersey auto accident lawyers can negotiate with insurers for you, help you understand your rights and help prove the full value of your claim to the insurance company. And if your company isn't acting in good faith, we can take your complaints all the way to the courts. After more than 15 years of practicing law in central New Jersey, we understand how insurance companies make decisions and the tricks they use to avoid paying legitimate claims. We will use that knowledge to get you the full amount of your claim, even if the insurance company won't play fair.