One of the biggest problems with any accident is figuring out how you’re going to pay your bills. Whether it’s medical expenses that come from your injuries, lost income from missing work, or repair costs, the expenses you’re dealing with can feel never-ending. That’s the stated purpose of having insurance, but what happens if they don’t cover everything? Our team at Maison Law can walk you through your options and help you move forward. Set up a free consultation today.

What If an Insurance Company Won’t Cover All My Injury Expenses?

One of the hardest parts of dealing with any insurance claim is that the company controls the pace. They decide:

• How they value your claim
• What they want to offer

They have a lot of different ways they influence your claim, but the overall goal is the same: try to save money by paying you as little as possible. The question then becomes, what can I do if they won’t cover all my expenses? The answer, as you might expect, is to go further by filing a lawsuit.

Why Should I File a Lawsuit If the Insurance Company Won’t Cover My Expenses?

When your insurance settlement offer doesn’t come close to covering your medical bills, lost income, or the impact the accident had on your life, you’re left with very few options inside that system.

That’s usually the point when people look beyond the insurance claim–and have to file a lawsuit.  Filing a lawsuit isn’t about being difficult—it’s about putting the decision in the hands of a neutral party instead of an insurance adjuster. A lawsuit has a couple positives:

• It allows you to go after the full value of your losses, not just whatever the insurance company chooses to put on the table.
• It’s a fairer process because it doesn’t leave the decision-making entirely in the insurance company’s hands.

The tradeoff is that lawsuits take more time and require more involvement from you. Still, they open the door to a wider range of damages, including:

• Current and future medical expenses
• Current and future lost income
• Property repair or replacement, like car repairs
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life

Any accident can leave you overwhelmed, but you’re not stuck with whatever an insurance company decides. You have options—and there are ways you can put together a strong claim to get the most out of the process.

What Evidence Can Strengthen My Claim For Damages?

Whether you file an insurance claim or a lawsuit, you have to do whatever you can to make sure your claim is stronger than anything they can push back against. A lot of people are surprised by how much everyday information can help. Here are the pieces of evidence that make the biggest difference:

• Medical records. Think of your medical records as the timeline of what you’ve been dealing with. They show when you reported your injuries, what doctors found, and how your treatment has progressed. Even things like physical therapy notes or follow-up appointments matter—they show you’re doing everything you can to get better, and that your pain isn’t something you made up after the fact.
• Pictures/videos. Pictures of the scene are helpful, but so are photos of your injuries in the days and weeks afterward. Bruising, swelling, stitches, medical devices—this all tells the story that an adjuster can’t explain away with a quick “that doesn’t look serious.”
• Official reports. Whether it’s a police report, store incident report, or something written up by a property owner or supervisor, an official document helps cut through the back-and-forth. It answers the basic questions right away, which keeps the insurance company from dragging things out.
• Statements. Witnesses aren’t just people who saw the accident. Friends, family, coworkers—anyone who sees how your injuries affect your daily life—can help show the real impact. When more than one person confirms what you’re going through, it carries weight.
• Bank records. Keep anything that shows how the accident has affected your finances: pay stubs showing missed work, medical bills, repair invoices, rideshare receipts, childcare costs—anything that reflects the ripple effect the accident has had on your life. These small details can add up to a huge part of your claim.
• Expert testimony. Sometimes you need someone with experience to explain what happened or how your injuries will affect you long-term. Doctors, accident reconstruction specialists, or vocational experts can give your case the kind of clarity that’s hard for an insurance company to brush off.
• Emails, letters, etc. Save everything—emails, letters, even short voicemails. Sometimes the insurance company ends up proving your point for you: delays, contradictions, or lowball explanations can help show why you needed to push your claim further.

Again, having this evidence won’t stop an insurance company from trying to minimize your claim, but they do make it harder for them to delay, nitpick, or justify a weak offer. And if you reach the point where a lawsuit becomes necessary, it’s this same evidence that will give you a much better foundation to work from.

Maison Law Can Make Sure You’re Treated Fairly By an Insurance Company in California

You don’t have to hire a lawyer after an accident in California, but once an insurance company has lowballed or ignored you, handling everything alone often slows things down. Maison Law steps in so you’re not stuck waiting on a system that isn’t working for you. Our California personal injury lawyers will:

• Lay out your options clearly
• Gather the evidence the company relies on
• Look into what actually happened so there’s less room for delay.
• Take over all communication
• Push back against low offers
• File a lawsuit when that’s the only way forward.

Our job is to move your case ahead while you focus on getting better. Set up a free consultation today to get started.