After you’ve received treatment for your injuries and set up a rehabilitation plan, it is time to deal with the insurance company. It is important that you receive appropriate compensation for your motorcycle accident claim. Unfortunately, getting the other driver’s insurance company to cooperate is not always easy.
There are several ways in which the other person’s insurance can make recovery difficult:
- They could offer the medical bills plus a small amount of compensation for pain and suffering.
- They could offer an amount lower than your current medical bills.
- Offer to cover your current medical bills and nothing further.
- The insurance company may argue their insured was not at fault for the accident and refuse to pay any part of the claim.
Hiring an Attorney Can Help
Instead of dealing with this on your own, talk to a California attorney experienced in motorcycle accident recovery. Personal injury attorneys usually operate on a contingency basis, which means you don’t pay until they get a recovery for you.
Your attorney will assist in the entire process of the claim and case. They will collect police reports, photos, medical records, bills, help you track lost wages, and more. When they have all relevant information, they’ll put together a demand packet and contact the insurance company directly. You may never even have to speak with the other driver’s insurance company.
The Demand
What’s a demand? Essentially a demand is a packet of documents that tell the motorcycle rider’s story. The demand will describe the accident, the injuries, why the insured is at fault, and describe how the accident affected the injured person’s life. In addition, the demand will have the medical records, bills, police report and photos/videos. At the end, the package is a demand for a compensation amount.
This information is all sent to the insurance company for review. Once the company looks over the demand package, they will come back with an offer or declination. Depending on the outcome, your attorney will either negotiate by sending a new demand, accept the counter offer (with your permission), or file a lawsuit.
A clear and concise demand is important to ensure full recovery for damages after a motorcycle accident. By hiring an experienced motorcycle accident attorney, you have a better chance of successfully dealing with the insurance company.