One thing I have learned while handling injury cases is that insurance companies are not always reasonable at the beginning.
In fact, a lot of times, they are not reasonable at all.
People think that if the facts are clear, the injuries are real, and the insurance company sees the evidence, then the company will do the right thing and make a fair offer. I wish that were true. It is not. What often happens is your case ends up in the hands of a low-level adjuster who has never met you, does not know what you have been through, and is just trying to move files off a desk as quickly as possible.
That is why sometimes, if you want fair compensation, you have to force the issue.
Why Insurance Companies Lowball Injury Claims
A lot of injury claims are first handled by adjusters who are overloaded with files and looking at people like numbers, not human beings.
They do not know how your injury has affected your life.
They do not know what you are dealing with every day.
They do not know the pain, the inconvenience, the missed work, the medical treatment, or the stress the accident has caused. Even when we explain those things and provide documentation, they may still put an arbitrary number on the case that has nothing to do with what the claim is actually worth.
That is when a decision has to be made.
Do we accept an insulting offer just to get it over with, or do we fight?
Sometimes Filing a Lawsuit Is the Right Strategy
A lot of people think filing a lawsuit is only about going to trial. That is not always the real value of it. Sometimes, filing a lawsuit is what forces the insurance company to move the file up the chain of command. And that matters because the higher the file moves inside the company, the more authority the next person often has to put real money on the case.
I explain this to clients all the time. Sometimes we are not filing suit just for the sake of fighting. We are doing it because the person currently handling the claim is clearly not being reasonable, and the only way to get a better set of eyes on the case is to escalate it.
A Real Example of How This Plays Out
I recently had a case involving a $25,000 policy.
The client was willing to take the full policy limits and be done with it. We gave the insurance company that opportunity. Instead of doing the reasonable thing, they came back with an offer of around $7,000. That was insulting. We rejected it and again made clear we would take the $25,000 policy limits. Then they came back with another low offer, around $9,500.
At that point, I told the client what I really thought: we needed to file a lawsuit.
Not because the case was weak.
Not because we wanted drama.
Because we needed to get the file out of the hands of someone who was not treating the case seriously.
Once the lawsuit was filed, the file moved up the ladder. Another adjuster got involved. And suddenly the conversation changed. That is not a coincidence. That is how these companies often operate.
Why Insurance Companies Change Their Tune After a Suit Is Filed
The reason this happens is simple.
Before suit, a low-level adjuster may assume the injured person will eventually accept less than the case is worth. They are counting on the idea that many lawyers and clients will decide it is easier to settle cheaply than to push back.
But once a lawsuit is filed, the risk to the insurance company increases. Now the file is getting more scrutiny. Now the company has to spend more money defending the case. Now there is a real possibility that a jury may hear the facts and award much more than the company should have paid in the first place.
That pressure is often what forces the insurance company to become more reasonable.
When the Insurance Company Plays Games, Its Own Driver May Be at Risk
This is something people do not always think about.
When an insurance company refuses to reasonably protect its own insured driver, it may be putting that person at serious financial risk. If a case with a small policy went all the way to trial and resulted in a verdict far above the available limits, the at-fault driver could end up exposed beyond the policy amount. In that situation, the insurance company is essentially gambling with its insured’s financial future. That is not what insurance is supposed to do.
People pay insurance premiums every month because they expect the company to protect them if they accidentally hurt someone. When the company gets cheap and refuses to act reasonably, it can create problems not just for the injured victim, but for its own policyholder, too.
Why This Matters to Your Case
The takeaway here is not that every case has to become a lawsuit.
The takeaway is that sometimes the only way to get fair attention on a claim is to make the insurance company realize you are serious. If the insurance company is being reasonable from the beginning, great. There may be no need to sue. But if they are treating you like just another number, throwing out insulting offers, and refusing to evaluate the case fairly, then escalation may be exactly what is needed to protect your interests.
My Job Is to Fight for You, Not Protect the Insurance Company
When people hire me, my concern is not the insurance company. My concern is the client. My job is to look at the injuries, the evidence, the treatment, and the facts of the case, then decide what strategy gives the client the best chance at being treated fairly. Sometimes that means negotiating hard. Sometimes that means filing a lawsuit. Sometimes that means forcing the insurance company to take a second and third look at a case it was too quick to dismiss. That is part of the job. And frankly, it is one of the most important parts of the job.
Why People Contact The Jaspon Firm
A lot of people come to me after they realize the insurance company is not taking them seriously. They are frustrated. They know they were legitimately hurt. They know the offers being made do not reflect what they have gone through. And they want to know whether someone is actually willing to push back. That is exactly what I do.
At The Jaspon Firm, I help injured people understand when a case can be resolved through negotiation and when the better move is to take it further. Insurance companies count on people getting tired and accepting less. My job is to keep that from happening when the evidence supports more.
Talk to Jeremiah Jaspon About Your Car Accident Case
If you were injured in a car accident and the insurance company is treating your case like just another file, do not assume that is the best they can do.
Sometimes the only way to get real movement is to fight.
Sometimes, filing a lawsuit is what forces the insurance company to take your case seriously and put it in front of someone with the authority to pay what should have been paid in the first place.
If you were hurt in a crash and the insurance company is not being reasonable, contact me, Jeremiah Jaspon, at The Jaspon Firm today. I will talk with you about your case, your options, and what it may take to get you treated fairly. ➜ (407) 513-9515