- Personal Injury
- Insurance Law
Personal Injury
Should I provide a statement to an insurance company without a lawyer's help?
It is typically in your best interest to provide only your contact information to an insurance company until you consult with a lawyer. The more significant your injuries, the more imperative it becomes to seek legal counsel before providing any statement.
Will I have to go to trial to recover damages?
About 95 percent of filed personal injury cases settle prior to trial.
What is considered "pain and suffering?"
Pain and suffering includes harm caused by not only the physical injuries sustained, but also mental anguish experienced through having to avoid activities you engaged in prior to your accident.
What determines the amount I might recover?
Every case basically addresses three issues:
- Liability—establishing someone's negligence
- Damages—the amount that will fairly and adequately compensate you for your injuries an make you whole
- Source of collection—insurance or other assets from which damages can be recovered
Is there a minimum or maximum amount that can be recovered in a personal injury settlement?
No
What is a typical settlement amount?
An experienced personal injury lawyer reviews and interprets your case information to determine the appropriate value for your claim, including:
- Past medical expenses incurred
- Future medical and surgical expenses
- Loss of past wages or income
- Your age and life expectancy
- Any permanent limitations caused by the injury
- Impact on future earning capacity
- Activities you can no longer do
- Activities you can do but do not enjoy as much
- Prognosis for future problems
- Strength of lay witness testimony
Our goal for you is to seek fair and adequate compensation for your injuries. An experienced attorney will know what a reasonable jury would award.
Insurance Law
Are there policy clauses that are likely to be grounds for claim denial?
Yes. A life insurance policy's incontestability clause allows insurers to contest policies that have been held for less than two years. Another cause of denial could be pre-existing or non-disclosed conditions. Hunter Law Firm knows the ins-and-outs of insurance policies and works with claims adjusters and insurance experts to obtain coverage when owed to maximize recovery for its clients.
What is insurance bad faith and how do I know if I have experienced it?
An insurance company acts in bad faith when it does not attempt in good faith to settle claims when, under all the circumstances, it could and should have done so had it acted fairly and honestly towards its insured and with due regard for his or her interests. Some examples of bad faith claim practices include:
- Failing to adopt and implement standards for the proper investigation of claims
- Misrepresenting pertinent facts or insurance policy provisions relating to coverages at issue
- Failing to acknowledge and act promptly upon communications with respect to claims
- Denying claims without conducting reasonable investigations based upon available information
- Failing to promptly provide reasonable explanation in writing to the insured of the basis in the insurance policy, in relation to the facts or applicable law, for denial of a claim or for the offer of a compromise settlement
- Failing to promptly notify the insured of any additional information necessary for the processing of a claim
When you buy a policy, you expect to be covered. If you have experienced any of the above actions of your insurance company, you may have cause for legal action.
