How you file your claim with Liberty Mutual after a Bakersfield accident can have a lot to do with the settlement amount you receive. Just because another driver caused the accident doesn’t mean you’ll go home with all of your medical bills paid for.
Giant car insurance companies have playbooks for their adjusters, and the game plan is to find a way to reject claims or limit settlements.
You should be ready to submit a claim with plenty of evidence, and to resist signing off on a settlement offer that doesn’t meet your recovery needs.
Filing a Claim with Liberty Mutual
A frightening accident on a busy route like Gosford Road can leave you with major injuries, medical bills, and no working vehicle to take to doctor’s appointments.
You might have been put in this position by a careless driver with Liberty Mutual Insurance.
You’ll have to contact Liberty Mutual on their website or on their app.
First, you’ll want to navigate to the options listed as File a Claim Against a Liberty Mutual Customer.
The website advises victims to have this information handy for the claims process:
- The driver’s name
- The driver’s policy number
- The driver’s address and phone number
- The date of the crash
- A rundown of what happened
- A rundown of the damage
Tactics to Beware of During the Claims Process
You may have a copy of a Bakersfield PD accident report that says you weren’t at fault for an accident. But this doesn’t always stop claims adjusters from finding ways to make it look like you were to blame.
They could resort to many unfair tactics to escape blame or to get you to accept less than you need in a settlement.
- Shedding Blame: If Liberty Mutual can get you to accept blame in an accident, they can likely reject your claim completely. That means you pay all of your own medical costs and receive nothing for the time you’ve missed on the job. Your lawyer would fight back on your behalf and present the evidence to keep the fault in the right place.
- A Quick Offer: Or, if it’s clear their policyholder was at fault, Liberty Mutual might make you an immediate settlement offer. But faster doesn’t always mean better. That first offer is usually a “lowball” amount that doesn’t cover all of your hardships. It may also be sent before you have time to speak to a skilled attorney. That’s the idea.
- A Delay or Ghosting You: Giant insurance companies might slow down your claims process intentionally. They can also stop taking your calls for a while. They hope your medical debt is accumulating, making you so desperate you’ll accept any settlement offer, no matter how low. Your lawyer helps you speed up the response from insurers, and also rejects every settlement until it’s enough money to leave you with no debt. Your lawyer can also help you weather long waits by helping you find doctors who will delay billing you until you can secure compensation.
- Refusal to Settle: When you don’t have a skilled attorney at your side, insurers like Liberty Mutual may simply reject your claim, no matter what the evidence says. They hope you’ll just give up. Signing a contingency agreement with a lawyer can shock an insurer back into compliance. If they still refuse to settle, your attorney files a lawsuit and takes them to court.
See: What Not to Say When Speaking to a Car Insurance Company
Discuss Your Accident Claim with a Bakersfield Car Accident Attorney for FREE
If your Kern County accident was minor, or just involved a wrecked car, you may be fine handling your claim yourself. But if you suffered a serious injury in your accident, and another driver was to blame, it’s a good time to speak to a lawyer.
Contact us to discuss your case in a free case consultation with a real lawyer.
There’s no obligation for your meeting. If you do need our help to command more from Liberty Mutual, you don’t have to worry about having the money to hire Maison Law. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our lawyer’s fee comes out of the settlement money that a car insurance company must hand over to you.
