Focused on getting our clients the compensation they need...

The Support You Need. The Settlement You Deserve.

Filing A Claim With Progressive After A California Accident

California is home to some of the most dangerous routes for drivers in the entire nation. I-5, I-880, and Highway 99 prove to be some of the deadliest roadways each year. Even the beauty of Highway 1 and its many curves sees their share of devastating crashes.

Get into a crash on these or any Golden State thoroughfares and you won’t be dealing with the at-fault driver to get help in recovery. You’ll be dealing with his or her insurance provider. Trusting your injury recovery to large insurance firms like Progressive should make you nervous.

Like any giant corporation, Progressive cares about its bottom line more than its policyholders and their victims. If you’re left with enormous hospital care costs after an accident, you could be in for the fight of your life simply to earn what’s fair in support from an insurance policy.

Insurance Tactics Used by Progressive after a California Accident

Sadly, insurance companies may not wait until you’re out of the hospital to start in with their sure and steady plan of devaluing your case and wearing down your guard. You’ll get a call from Progressive representatives fairly soon to inquire about your wellbeing. But that’s not the true reason for the call.

Progressive agents will be asking you if they can record your answers to a few questions. You need to politely decline. These questions never come up again unless Progressive can use them to weaken your account of what happened in an accident. They may also use your statements about your injuries to escape liability for your wounds later.

Progressive will also be wearing you down by delaying their response to your accident claim. The longer they wait to let you know what they think of your case, the more worried you get about medical invoices and other bills that begin to pile up.

Once you’re desperate enough they’ll shoot you a “lowball offer” that covers very little of the costs you’ve paid and will pay over your injury. They hope you are anxious enough to sign off on this offer. They also hope you don’t talk to a personal injury lawyer who would steer you clear of these tricks.

Securing Evidence to Keep Progressive Honest

Your best hope of securing everything you’ll need to complete your physical and financial recovery will be to work with your personal injury attorney in building a solid case.

Your attorney will be working to secure documents including police reports and medical charts to show that your accident and your injuries weren’t your fault. Your attorney will also be contacting witnesses who can testify on your behalf.

An attorney won’t be with you in the moments after an accident occurs, but that’s when some of the most compelling evidence can be collected. If you are physically up to it, you should gather some important details on the scene.

  • Call for police and paramedics. Give a full report to officers on what occurred. Give them details about what you saw the driver doing before you were hit. Have paramedics document your injuries. Go to the emergency room if necessary and ask someone with you or a helpful witness to collect a few pieces of evidence for you.
  • Take photos of the scene. Show damage to cars and any visible injuries victims may have. Get any identifying marks on the car that hit you such as any work signage, the make and model, and the license plate. Take pictures of the street signs, lane markings, and traffic lights that show what the other driver may have ignored. Show the weather conditions in one of your photos.
  • Exchange information with other drivers. Get driver’s license and insurance information. Don’t discuss who was at fault and how badly you are hurt. You may not have a clear answer for either question until much later. These statements can be used against you when you file a claim.
  • Talk to all witnesses. Get their contact information. Businesses or homes nearby may be worth visiting to see if anyone saw what happened.
  • Notice any security cameras on businesses or homes nearby. Doorbell cameras and parking lot monitors may have recorded what happened.
  • Get checked out by your personal doctor in the days that follow. Pay special attention to any injuries that appeared in the days after an accident. Injuries are often masked while you are still in shock over what happened, but the pain can make itself known the next morning when you wake up.

Contact a Lawyer Serving California Car Accident Victims

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a careless driver anywhere in California, contact attorney Martin Gasparian for a free case evaluation. Mr. Gasparian will listen to what happened and help you determine your best course of action to secure the compensation you and your family will need to pay your bills and rebuild your lives.

If you agree to let Martin Gasparian represent your injury claim, you won’t pay anything until he wins your case and earns the money you need to recover.

Call Now Button