Tips For Dealing With Your Car Insurance Company During A Lawsuit
In some rare instances following car accidents, it may be necessary for you to retain an attorney and pursue a lawsuit against your own insurance provider. This may occur if the other motorist lacked insurance and your provider is fighting you about the benefits that you are seeking to recover for your accident-related expenses. This can be a challenging position to be in, especially if you've had a long and otherwise positive relationship with your insurance company, but the right auto accident lawyer will guide you through this process and achieve a positive solution. During a lawsuit, here are some tips for dealing with your insurance provider.
Don't Fail To Make Your Payments
It's easy to take your insurance provider's unwillingness to cover your accident-related expenses personally, and this may compel you to act in somewhat of a petty manner. For example, you might decide to hold back your car insurance payment — or your overall insurance payment if you have other insurance services through the company — as a way of "punishing" the insurance provider. As much as this might be tempting, it's best to avoid this level of pettiness. It will only complicate the situation more, as the insurance provider may view you as failing to act in good faith.
Be Wary Of Phone Calls
During a lawsuit, your insurance provider may be eager to either bolster its own case against you or compel you to call off the suit. In either case, someone from the company may call you. This phone call may initially be under the pretense of talking about an insurance matter, but the agent on the line may also attempt to disrupt the lawsuit in any number of ways. For example, he or she might attempt to get you to make an incriminating statement about yourself relating to the accident. Be extremely wary of phone calls from the insurance provider and don't be afraid to direct them to your attorney.
Don't Make Public Declarations
You might be so frustrated with your insurance company that you take to social media to make statements about it. Doing so might seem like harmless venting, but you may cross the line into making a libelous statement. The insurance company can easily find out — and may already be monitoring your social media to determine if you make any statements about your accident — and this could complicate your case. For example, if you've committed libel, the company may file a counter-suit against you.