Personal Injury Lawyer Jack O’Donnell Helps Take On Insurance Companies In Hartford County
If you have been injured because of someone else’s recklessness or negligence, you are entitled to compensation from them and their insurance company, but even in Hartford County, you will need the help of Connecticut Personal Injury Lawyer Jack O’Donnell.
Hartford has long been touted as the insurance capital of America. While some of the big-name insurance companies have moved into the suburbs or even further (like a good portion of the wealth and population) it is still a giant when it comes to the sector. In fact, despite Hartford County being stuffed full of insurance companies, not one will go out of its way to really help you if you are injured and need the compensation they are supposed to provide.
In Connecticut, when you are injured by someone else’s negligence or recklessness, you have a legal right to demand they cover your losses and costs. In most cases, this will only be possible if they have very deep pockets or, more likely, have paid for insurance coverage for just such an eventuality. Unfortunately, insurance companies are reluctant to pay out, even in Hartford, at the seat of their power (more on why later).
Oftentimes, the only way to get them to pay the full and real value of all your injuries and the harm you have endured is to pursue a personal injury claim against them with the help of a skilled lawyer. In Hartford and throughout Connecticut, you can count on attorney Jack O’Donnell for help standing up to these insurance companies and ensuring they pay you what you need and deserve.
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Who Can File For Personal Injury Compensation In Hartford County?
Not all injuries are, unfortunately, eligible for compensation (a fact insurance companies can and will use against you). To qualify for a personal injury claim, you must:
- Have been injured primarily by someone else, you cannot make a claim against yourself!
- That person, entity or institution must have been acting negligently or recklessly.
- Their negligence must have caused your injury and any harm or loss for which you want to demand compensation.
If these conditions are met, then those who caused your injury are said to be liable for the damages caused. This means they, or their insurance company, can be made to pay for the various costs, harms and losses associated with the injury with a personal injury claim.
These possible damages can be any and all of the following:
- Medical bills and costs, including past, present, and even potential future treatments, surgeries, consultations, medications and more.
- Any other specific monetary damages, such as income lost due to being unable to work, including in the future.
- Even general damages, which are hard to put into money costs, like emotional harm, trauma, pain, and suffering, can be estimated and added up.
As you can see, these can be quite considerable and quickly add up to massive sums, especially for catastrophic injuries. Unfortunately, Hartford County insurance companies are not always keen to hand out such significant chunks of cash. In fact, their profits depend on doing the opposite.
Free Initial Consultation | (203) 787-8603
Why Do You Need A Lawyer When Filing A Personal Injury Claim Against An Insurance Company?
Insurance companies make profits by collecting more than they have to pay out (and putting the money they collect to productive use in the meantime!). As a result, they are structured to look for reasons to pay out less and to make absolutely sure they do not pay out when they do not have to.
They also have layers of bureaucracy and armies of attorneys, which can make them formidable opponents to go up against in court if you feel your claim has not been treated or compensated fairly.
Yet if these companies paid out everything that was asked of them, Hartford County would be a lot poorer as they would have long ago gone out of business. So how do they get away with it?
Contesting Liability And Causality
Insurance companies have a lot of oversight, which means that after a claim is filed and paid, an auditor, often independent, will usually look over it to make sure they paid out a fair amount. But if no claim is filed…there is nothing to look over.
As a result, insurance companies in Hartford and throughout the country have become very good at throwing doubt on the liability of their clients. They might argue that the accident that caused your injury was your fault or that some other factor caused it. Or they might argue that your injury was caused by a previous accident or worsened by an older injury.
If an insurance company is flat-out denying your claim for such a reason or trying to get you to accept a lower settlement as a result, you need to reach out to a lawyer who is not afraid to call them out and contest their reasoning. Including in court if necessary.
Early Offers And Settlements
If you sign off on a settlement with an insurance company, it removes a lot of their responsibility for the outcome. After all, you signed it. As a result, they will often offer immediate (and extremely low) settlements, frequently with claims of generosity.
Insurance companies know that you are desperate and might be tight on cash to cover medical bills, car repairs, or just to feed your family while you are unable to work. Unfortunately, many of these offers are made early, before the extent of your injuries is known, but require that you sign away your right to further compensation. This can result in you signing away your right to the help you need while giving them plausible deniability.
The same is true, to a less predatory extent, the further into the process you get when they offer the settlement. Some may even be worth it. Unfortunately, the only way to know is often to work with a lawyer who is familiar with both your type of case and the insurance company you are up against. Having a lawyer review any offer before you sign is vital, and if an insurance company sees you trying to navigate the personal injury process without one, you can bet they will take advantage.
In Hartford County, such outcomes can easily be avoided with a call to personal injury lawyer Jack O’Donnell.
Call A Hartford County Personal Injury Attorney Near You!
Jack O’Donnell | A Hartford County personal injury lawyer ready to help you take on any insurance company to get a fair settlement and compensation.
If you have been hurt in Hartford County or anywhere else in Connecticut, you should not assume that the insurance company will be forthcoming or generous with their compensation. Instead, you should make sure they are held accountable for your injury, harm, and loss by contacting a skilled and experienced personal injury claim lawyer.
Whether you have already been offered a personal injury settlement or are just starting to think about compensation, call (203) 787-8603 or reach out online to get a free consultation with attorney Jack O’Donnell.