Insurance Coverages
Texas law requires that every person who drives on Texas roads carry liability insurance on their car. The purpose of liability insurance is cover personal injuries and property damage should you cause a crash and injure or damage someone else’s body or property. Liability coverage does not provide protections to you should someone else cause the wreck and hurt you.
Texas law provides that you may purchase underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage. This coverage provides you protection when you are in a car accident that is not your fault and the person who caused the accident either: (1) does not have enough insurance coverage to cover your personal injury and property damage or (2) has no insurance to coverage cover your losses. We recommend that you purchase as much underinsured/uninsured coverage as you can afford monthly because many Texas drivers are either uninsured or carry minimum levels of liability coverage. Protecting yourself with insurance coverage is vital in case you are injured by an underinsured/uninsured driver.
Why do you need a lawyer?
So, you’ve been in an accident. Your phone is ringing off the hook. The insurance adjuster is offering to put money in your pocket, but it will require you to sign a release dropping all the claims you have stemming from the accident. If you have found yourself in this situation, you’re likely trying to decide whether you should hire an attorney before signing anything. The answer to that question is simple, yes. You should never sign any documents from an insurance company following personal injury without talking to a personal injury attorney.
Insurance companies today are master manipulators. They have come up with very clever jingles that are in their commercials. “Like a good neighbor…” and “You’re in good hands”. These companies go out of their way to manipulate the general public into thinking they will treat you fairly. Unfortunately, the reality is that these insurance companies do not and will never have your best interest in mind. Furthermore, they are in the business of making money and the main way they do that is by denying valid claims or getting injured people to accept far less for their injuries than they deserve.
The insurance adjuster’s job is to get you to accept as little money as possible in exchange for signing a release. The insurance companies will go out of their way to tell you that you don’t need an attorney. They will tell you an attorney will only complicate things. That is true, an experienced personal injury attorney will complicate things but not for you as the injured person; an experienced personal injury attorney will complicate and make things difficult for the insurance adjuster.
When you find yourself in a situation where you have been injured by negligence of someone else, ask yourself this: do I want the insurance company to take advantage of me? If your answer to that question is “no”, then you need to call a personal injury attorney who will fight to ensure that the insurance company doesn’t take advantage of you.
If you were injured in a car or commercial vehicle wreck and want the compensation you deserve from the insurance company, call Perdue & Kidd. Above all, the experienced attorneys on staff know the tricks and games of the insurance adjusters and will fight to protect your rights.
