Being in an automobile accident can be a very traumatic and 
trying experience. Unfortunately, once the wreck is over the 
problems can still continue. It is estimated by the National 
Safety Council that there are more than 12 million auto accidents 
annually, including more than 20 million vehicles. This creates 
a situation for the automotive insurance companies that can be 
quite expensive. Insurance companies are always looking for ways 
to save money and cut costs. One way that they do this is by 
working very hard at not paying you any more than they have to, 
if you are in an automobile accident. At times the insurance 
companies will try to not pay you at all for your car's damages. 

Even a small fender bender can result in hundreds of dollars 
worth of damage. A small dent on the rear quarter panel of a car 
will be very expensive to fix at a body shop. These minor dents 
and dings are why insurance companies entice people to agree to a 
deductible when creating their policy. It is no coincidence that 
the amount of many deductibles is $500-$1,000. Many very minor 
dents and dings will not result in enough damage to go over your 
deductible and your insurance company will not have to pay 
anything. 

If you are involved in an automobile accident, you may think that 
your insurance company is on your side, but in reality they are 
on their own side and want to save themselves money. Let us take 
a look at an example. A person just purchased a car and has full 
coverage insurance on that vehicle. Two weeks later that person 
is involved in a major accident. The insurance adjuster declares 
that the car is "totaled". This means that the expense of repair 
exceeds the vehicles Blue Book value. A blue book is one of the 
primary resources that insurance adjusters and car dealerships 
use to determine the value of any car. 

So the insurance adjuster said that the person's car is a total 
loss, but the blue book value is only $7,000 and the person paid 
$10,000 for the car. Where does that other $3,000 come from? That 
loss is expected to be absorbed by the unlucky owner of the car. 
Does this sound like a fair deal for the person who has only 
owned his or her car for just two weeks?

A situation such as the one described above is why you need a 
qualified and competent lawyer, who is on your side. In many 
instances a lawyer will be able to recoup the full price that 
you paid for the car, not just the blue book value. Even if 
your car is not new, you may have spent a great deal of money on 
maintenance repairs recently, and insurance companies generally 
do not pay for that either. A lawyer will be able to help you in 
instances such as these also. 

The insurance companies have lawyers working for them to help 
keep them from paying anymore than they have to. Most people are 
not aware of how much they can get from their insurance company, 
in case of an automobile accident, and insurance companies like 
it that way. That is why reading your insurance policy can be 
like reading a complicated textbook. This is another reason to 
get a lawyer on your side, lawyers who work in this area know all 
of the details of insurance policies and will make sure that your 
very own insurance company does not rip you off. 

Hopefully you will not have a need for a lawyer to represent you 
in an automobile accident claim, but if you do, be sure to select 
a lawyer that knows his or her business and one that will be on 
your side and your side only. 

 

Landon Prescott writes on topics related to insurance and health.
When you need to locate effective and experienced car accident 
attorneys in Los Angeles, California, Michael H. Silvers can help
you. For over 30 years Michael H. Silvers, A Law Corporation has 
handled over 10,000 accident cases, with a success rate of 98.6%.
http://www.michaelhsilvers.com/