How Our Lawyers Handle a State Farm Injury Claim

How Our Lawyers Handle a State Farm Injury Claim

The process of handling injury claims involving State Farm, one of the largest insurance providers in the United States, can be intricate and demanding. Many individuals find themselves overwhelmed by the complexity of filing a claim, negotiating settlements, and ensuring they receive fair compensation. This is where lawyers come into play.

A skilled car accident lawyer can take on your claim and assist with pursuing financial compensation. Having an attorney on your side allows you to focus on your physical recovery while they work to get you the most favorable result.

Schedule a Free Initial Consultation Today!

The Importance of Seeking Legal Counsel for an Insurance Claim

State Farm, like other insurance companies, is challenging to deal with. They frequently utilize certain unfair and aggressive strategies to harm or devalue claims, making the process much more difficult for injured victims.

Hiring a lawyer to handle your State Farm claim can help ensure State Farm does not take advantage of you during a difficult time. Attorneys are all too familiar with how insurance companies operate and know how to anticipate and handle potential issues.

When you hire a car accident lawyer to take on your State Farm claim, you know your case is in the best hands. Having a personal injury attorney on your side gives you the best opportunity to obtain the financial recovery you need for your injuries and related losses.

When Can I File an Insurance Claim Following an Accident?

You can file an insurance claim for compensation when you suffer injuries in an accident. Our personal injury lawyers have experience handling a wide variety of accidents, including auto collisions and falls.

Depending on the cause of your accident, injuries can be severe and even life-threatening, including:

• Fractures
• Neck injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Back injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Internal injuries

An accident can seriously impact your life. You may face a long road to recovery and extensive monetary burdens. Filing a State Farm injury claim can assist with pursuing the compensation you need to relieve your financial stress and allow you to receive the medical treatment you need.

Understanding State Farm Injury Claims

State Farm handles a large volume of personal injury claims annually. Injury claims typically fall into two categories: first-party claims (where the claimant is covered by their insurance policy) and third-party claims (where the claimant seeks compensation from someone else’s insurance policy). For example, in Michigan, individuals must carry no-fault insurance and file first-party claims through their insurance.

Lawyers are often involved with third-party claims, where the injured party seeks compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance provider, which can be State Farm or another insurer. However, attorneys are also commonly needed for first-party claims if the insurer is unwilling to settle the policyholder’s claim fairly or denies the claim altogether.

Dealing with a State Farm claim can be challenging, whether you’re filing a third-party or first-party claim. For this reason, it’s crucial to seek assistance from a qualified attorney.

Gathering Evidence and Building the Case

A critical part of handling an injury claim is documenting the injuries and their impact on your life. Lawyers work closely with medical professionals to compile comprehensive records, including:

• Medical reports: Detailed descriptions of injuries, treatments, and prognosis.
• Bills and expenses: Records all medical expenses, including hospital stays, medications, and rehabilitation costs.
• Impact statements: Personal accounts of how the injuries have affected your daily life, work, and overall well-being. 

For injury claims, any and all evidence concerning your injuries and physical health can play a significant role and help strengthen your case. Your lawyer will gather all evidence and documentation to prove your injuries and exhibit all of the ways your injuries have impacted your health, life, and finances.

Filing Your Claim

Once the evidence is gathered and the cause is prepared, your lawyer can file your claim with State Farm. It involves providing details about the accident and resulting injuries and submitting relevant documentation.

Once your claim has been initiated, the insurance company will assign a claims adjuster. Your claims adjuster is responsible for your claim throughout the claims process. They’re in charge of several aspects of your claim, including evaluating your medical records, assessing property damage, and facilitating vehicle repairs if needed.

After completing their investigation, the claims adjuster will determine whether to approve or deny your claim. If approved, they’ll provide a settlement offer for what State Farm believes your claim to be worth.

Negotiating with State Farm

State Farm, like many insurance companies, aims to minimize payouts. Lawyers must be adept at negotiating to ensure clients receive fair compensation. Critical aspects of the negotiation process include:

• Settlement offers: Reviewing and responding to settlement offers from State Farm. Car accident attorneys evaluate whether the offer is reasonable based on the evidence and potential damages.
• Counteroffers: Proposing counteroffers if the initial settlement is insufficient. It often involves presenting additional evidence or arguments to justify a higher amount. 

Negotiations are one of the most critical parts of the claims process. During negotiations, you can trust your attorney will do everything possible to get you the financial recovery you deserve for your injuries.

Addressing Potential Claim Complications

Throughout your claim, you may encounter certain complications that can impact the outcome of your claim.

One of the most used strategies State Farm utilizes to settle a claim is the quick initial settlement offer. Early on in your claim, the insurance company may offer a lowball settlement offer to get you to settle your claim quickly. These offers are usually for much less than your claim is worth. Insurance companies know claimants typically want to settle immediately and get their money, so they use this to their advantage.

If State Farm offers a settlement that is significantly lower than what your lawyer believes to be fair, your attorney can:

• Request justification: Asking for detailed reasons for the low offer to address misunderstandings or miscalculations.
• Negotiate firmly: Engage in persistent negotiations to improve the offer.

Should State Farm refuse to improve its settlement offer, our lawyers will not hesitate to take further action.

Another common issue with State Farm injury claims is receiving a denial. In cases where State Farm denies the claim, lawyers can take several steps:

• Appealing the denial: Filing an appeal or providing additional evidence to counter the denial.
• Reinvestigating the claim: Conducting further investigations to strengthen the case.
• Seeking legal remedies: Exploring other legal options, such as filing a lawsuit if the claim is unjustly denied. 

Dealing with a denied claim can be devastating, as it can feel like you’ve hit the end of the road with your claim. Still, you can rely on our skilled personal injury attorneys to do whatever is needed to fight the denial and get you on the road to compensation.

Turning to Litigation

In the best cases, your State Farm injury claim ends in a successful settlement. However, while a settlement is a goal, that goal is not always realized. State Farm can put up quite the fight, making it nearly impossible to get the monetary recovery you need.

Our lawyers can turn to other options, including litigation when negotiations fail.

Sending a Demand Letter

Before filing a lawsuit, attorneys often try one last-ditch effort to get State Farm to settle: the demand letter. In their demand letter, your lawyer includes information concerning your accident and resulting injuries and a dollar amount representing the value of your claim. Your attorney asks State Farm to settle the claim for said amount or face potential litigation.

Upon receipt of the letter, State Farm may settle for the requested amount or negotiate with your lawyer. On the other hand, if the insurance company continues to be difficult and refuses to settle, your attorney can proceed with a legal claim.

Filing a Lawsuit

Your lawyer may advise filing a lawsuit if a fair settlement cannot be reached through a demand letter or negotiations.

Your attorney can begin by preparing legal documents. They’ll draft and file a complaint with the court outlining your claims and the relief sought. Once the documents are filed, the opposing party receives copies as notification of the impending case. They can then file a response to your claims with the court.

Engaging in the Discovery Process

During the discovery process, both parties have the opportunity to exchange evidence, take depositions, and gather information to support their cases. It is often the most time-consuming portion of the lawsuit process but also the most important.

Once discovery has concluded, parties are usually better equipped to revisit settlement negotiations and try to settle the claim before trial.

Negotiating for a Settlement

Our lawyers won’t take your case straight to court without first attempting to settle with the insurance company. At this point in the litigation process, many settlements are reached. You can expect your lawyer to advocate for your rights and work to get you the most advantageous settlement.

Should negotiations not yield favorable results, your lawyer may decide it’s best to try your case in court.

Going to Trial

A judge or jury decides its fate if your case goes to trial. During the trial, both parties present evidence, witness testimonies, and expert opinions to the court, which allows judges and juries to better understand the case and make the most informed decisions.

Once cases have been presented and parties have made their closing arguments, the judge or jury renders their verdict, determining whether you’re entitled to compensation and, if so, how much.

Protecting Against Common Tactics that Can Impact Your State Farm Claim

Our lawyers make protecting you from sneaky insurance company strategies a top priority. Attorneys are all too familiar with the tactics insurance companies, like State Farm, use to hurt injury claims. Some of the schemes State Farm uses most often include:

• Requesting a recorded statement: After your accident, State Farm may ask for a recorded statement to get your side of the story. While this may seem innocent, the insurer is trying to use your words against you.
• Asking for a medical release authorization: State Farm may try to get access to all of your medical records, not just the ones following your accident. They do this to try to look for previous injuries and medical issues so they can blame your current injuries on pre-existing conditions. 
• Delaying your claim: State Farm may intentionally delay your claim. They do this purposely to frustrate you into agreeing to the settlement agreement that’s currently on the table. 

Navigating an injury claim is tough enough as it is without having to dodge State Farm’s deceitful strategies. Fortunately, our skilled car accident attorneys know what to expect from State Farm and are best equipped to protect you and your rights to fair compensation.

Allow Our Attorneys to Help You with Your State Farm Injury Claim

Handling injury claims with State Farm can be frustrating. Our personal injury lawyers are experienced in managing the claims process, from initial consultations and investigations to negotiating settlements and representing you in court.

When you suffer an injury and need to file a State Farm claim, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance to achieve the most successful outcome.

Schedule a Free Initial Consultation Today!