Victims of motor vehicle collisions in Ohio may be able to make a claim with their own insurer if they have Medical Payments Coverage included with their auto insurance policy. Injury victims may also be able to make a bodily injury claim to recover compensation from an insurer of a driver who caused the crash. A recent report from the Insurance Research Council (IRC) reveals that there are more people getting legal help when they make both an insurance claim and a bodily injury claim.
Hiring a personal injury lawyer to help obtain compensation after a collision can be necessary because insurance companies frequently try to avoid paying covered claims in full.
More Collision Victims Turning to Lawyers for Representation
The IRC report found that in 2007, 31 percent of personal injury protection claimants had a lawyer when they made their claim. By 2012, 36 percent of claimants had a lawyer. In 2007, 49 percent of bodily injury claimants had a lawyer when they made their claim. By 2012, this number was up to 50 percent.
The IRC tried to spin the increase in legal representation as a bad thing. They claim that it takes longer for victims to get payments. Blaming the lawyers for this does not tell the whole story.
The American Association for Justice painted a comprehensive picture of insurance company abuses. Taking a look at the 10 worst insurance providers in the country revealed dishonest tactics that were specifically intended to make it harder for people to get money after a covered loss. Insurers practiced the "Three D's" in order to reduce the amount of claims payouts that they would need to be made. These included delay, deny and defend.
Delay refers to trying to drag out claims as long as possible. When insurance companies are giving consumers the runaround instead of paying for claims, the insurance industry shouldn't be complaining that having a lawyer makes cases take longer.
Some insurance companies will also try to coerce people into settling a case. Your insurer may know your claim is covered and make a low offer to you. If you accept, you'll get your money right away. The problem is, you won't be able to recover any more money when it turns out that the amount you were paid did not cover your medical bills or your costs. It is better for there to be a bit of a delay in getting paid if the delay is caused by a lawyer having time to look over a settlement offer and maybe negotiate with an insurance company for a larger amount of monetary damages.
The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA) data shows private insurance companies pay 50 percent of motor vehicle accident losses, while victims of collisions may end up paying as much as 26 percent of costs. Doctors, charities and government revenues cover the remaining costs associated with collisions. If more victims have lawyers, insurers may be forced to pick up more costs.
The RMIIA also found that from 2007 to 2012, at the same time as the number of people with lawyer's increased, there was also an eight percent increase in claimed losses annualized among insurance claimants and a four percent increase in average payouts to bodily injury claimants. Victims deserve to get the maximum compensation appropriate to their situation and many are recognizing that they need to hire a lawyer to have a chance to do that.
Contact our Columbus, OH accident lawyers today. Call 1-800-930-SCOTT or visit https://www.sestriallaw.com for a free case consultation.
