Kentucky drivers can face all sorts of hazards as they travel around Louisville. They can also face a different type of hazard when they must face off against an unfamiliar insurance company after they’ve been the victim of a careless driver.
Like it or not, if you’re involved in an accident caused by another driver, you’re likely going to be spending a lot of time with their insurance provider. That provider may be an insurance giant like American Family. Whether you deal with them on the phone, online, or in an office you’ll soon figure out that it’s more about their profits than it is about your injuries.
If you are seriously hurt in a collision that wasn’t your fault, contact the attorneys with Louisville’s Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, Law Firm. Insurance companies don’t have to tell you about everything available to you as a victim. And they won’t because the more they tell you the more it costs them. Our lawyers can fill you in on what you may be missing and offer you a free appraisal of your case to discover your best options for getting the compensation you’ll need to get back on your feet again.
Filing a Claim with American Family Insurance Agents After a Louisville Accident
American Family Insurance, or AmFam, is among the ten biggest insurers in the United States. They are based in Wisconsin but you can have an unfortunate encounter with their drivers anywhere in or out of Kentucky. You could suddenly be forced to become an expert in insurance bad faith tactics.
The insurance industry doesn’t get real creative. They’ve all been trying the same tricks for decades now. Their go-to strategies can involve stall tactics to withhold compensation from injury victims as they get more and more desperate for help. They can also try to shift blame to the victim despite what police reports say. They can also try to dazzle you with insurance “legal speak” to get you confused and hide the fact that they’re treating you unfairly.
There are a few things you can do to build a solid case that can prevent insurance agents from trying these tactics:
DO’S
- Call 911: Even if you don’t feel pain right away call for help. Paramedics can document any potential injuries and police officers can back up your account of what happened in their police report.
- Gather evidence: As long as you’re okay, get out of your car and start taking photos of everything you can. Take pics of car damage, license plates, street signs, and lane markings. Note the weather at the time of the accident. Note the time of day. Get contact information from witnesses and driver’s license and insurance information from the at-fault driver.
- Talk to an attorney: Even if you don’t think you need a lawyer take advantage of a free consultation for a lesson in how insurance agents operate. Your injury may also be worth more than you think. A legal expert can also tell you about important deadlines you’ll need to meet to hold an insurance company responsible.
DON’TS
- Don’t make statements: You will probably get a call from an American Family representative asking for a recorded statement. Politely shut them down. Don’t say anything about the accident or your injuries. They can use these statements later to tear down your case. It’s best to let your lawyer handle all communications with agents and AmFam lawyers.
- Don’t post: You may want to share your misfortune with friends on Facebook or Instagram but stop yourself. American Family can treat these posts like statements and use them to weaken your claim to compensation.
- Don’t accept lowball offers: Don’t sign any documents or consider any settlement offers without legal counsel. Without experience in the insurance industry or legal knowledge of accident liability, you won’t know if your offer is fair or not. That offer may look good, but it could be well below what you’ll need to recover.
For more information on other insurance companies in Kentucky like Liberty Mutual and Geico, click here.
Wrongful Death Claims Against an Insurance Company
Victims aren’t the only ones who suffer after an accident. A tragic accident can place extreme burdens on a family after the loss of a loved one. Families may need to file a wrongful death claim against the driver to blame and his or her American Family policy. This claim can demand restitution for ambulance fees, funeral and burial costs, and the lost financial support a loved one would have provided in the years to come.
Insurance agents likely won’t tell grieving families about this option. A spouse, domestic partner, children of the victim, and in some cases the parents of the victim can file a wrongful death claim on behalf of the entire family. The settlement earned from American Family can protect families from running into financial hardships now and in the future.
Contact a Louisville Car Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one was the victim in a car accident involving an American Family policyholder talk to a Louisville Car Accident Lawyer you can trust to be on your side and fight for your fair compensation. The attorneys at Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, have the knowledge and a combined 100 years’ experience in helping clients get the compensation they’ll need to make a full recovery. To discuss your case, contact Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC today, by clicking here to reach them online.
