State Farm is the largest car insurance provider in the United States. That means if you’re forced into an accident on a California street or highway, there’s a good chance you’ll be dealing with a careless driver’s State Farm agents.
Your injury may be severe and could seriously affect your life. You’ll want to secure money to pay for the best care possible and also enough to get your family back on their feet financially. Unfortunately, State Farm doesn’t share those same goals. They are a large corporation interested in making expensive TV commercials and keeping costs low.
Getting Assistance for California Accident Victims from State Farm
Even in the most clear-cut accidents, proving your innocence to State Farm will be a difficult task. Especially if you’re expecting them to pay for every consequence of their policyholder’s error on the road.
Victims should never have to beg for support after being placed in such a vulnerable position by another driver’s mistake. For this reason, California allows accident victims to file a claim for damages against an at-fault driver’s car insurance.
A personal injury lawyer can write up this claim for you and make sure every hardship you’ve faced is included. An attorney working for your benefit will also be collecting evidence and testimony to make sure your case is strong before it’s sent off to State Farm. For a free consultation on your case please contact Maison Law serving all accident victims in California.
State Farm’s Tactics to Devalue your Accident Claim
Evidence used to present a strong case can become vital to a victim in need of support. It would be nice if State Farm rushed to the aid of accident victims and provided everything they needed in recovery. But instead, they’ll usually spend their resources trying to avoid paying compensation.
If you file an insurance claim after an accident, State Farm will investigate you thoroughly. They hope to find some nugget of information to use to deny your claim or greatly reduce the support they must offer.
These are a few of the tactics you are likely to experience:
- Question an accident report – State Farm will rarely take a police accident report at face value, especially if it lays the blame for a crash at the feet of their policyholder. They’ll poke holes in this report and any witness testimony that also shows that State Farm should be held liable for your suffering. This is where it becomes very beneficial to have a personal injury lawyer monitoring everything State Farm attempts to catch them when they try to change the facts.
- A check of your driving background – State Farm will bring up any traffic incidents you’ve had in the past because they think it shows that you were at fault in your most recent accident. They might even use any speeding tickets you’ve received to try to prove that you are reckless. They want you to either drop your claim or to accept a “lowball offer” from them that doesn’t provide enough money for your entire recovery journey. This is really just grasping at straws, but if you don’t have a lawyer safeguarding your rights, you could end up falling for their blame game.
- A check of medical records – A check of your medical history could turn up a similar injury you’ve had in the past. State Farm would use this to wriggle out of blame for your current injury. They’d argue that the injury you most recently received was just a flare-up of an older injury. These baseless claims are used to weaken your resolve to get support as you heal. A personal injury attorney won’t let you fall for them.
- Use statements to hurt your case – During a consultation with a legal expert, you’ll receive some very valuable tips. One of the most important is not to give recorded statements. Insurance agents will be calling you after an accident asking you to talk about the collision and recording you as you do. Don’t give them the ammunition to use against you. Your statements can be used as evidence later. Statements about the fault in the accident or about your injuries can be twisted later and used to weaken your case. Allow your personal injury lawyer to do the talking for you.
For more help in dealing with other major insurance companies visit our insurance page. You’ll find further information there on companies like Geico and Allstate.
Wrongful Death Lawsuits in California
For families who have experienced the ultimate tragedy and lost a loved one to a traffic accident, there are laws in place to protect victims at such a vulnerable time. Families can file a wrongful death claim against the insurance company representing the at-fault driver.
This claim can be filed by a close relative such as a spouse or domestic partner, children of the victim, and in some cases the parents of the deceased. One member would file on behalf of the entire family. A personal injury attorney could also oversee this lawsuit and file it on behalf of the family. They would gather evidence and testimony to show clear proof that a driver’s negligence was responsible for the death of a loved one.
A wrongful death claim can stabilize a family experiencing financial turmoil after a tragic accident. The costs of a memorial service and burial can be reimbursed by an insurance company. Any medical bills and ambulance fees built up before the deceased passed on can also be part of the support provided. The family will also be without the guidance and financial support a loved one has always provided through employment. These losses that will continue into the future can also be part of an award presented to the family.
Contact a Car Accident Attorney in California
Martin Gasparian provides a free consultation for victims and their families after a devastating accident. Insurance companies won’t tell you everything that’s available to accident victims. Contact Mr. Gasparian for an honest look at your rights as a victim. Find out how to guard against the strategies insurance companies like State Farm use to rob families of the compensation they need to rebuild their lives.
