The last thing you expect is to be in an accident and hurt someone. At this point, your stress level may have gone through the roof, and you may feel at a complete loss as to how to proceed. What you do need to do is to talk to Fresno car accident lawyers about the accident. You should get the legal help you need to avoid placing yourself at a disadvantage simply because there are things you do not know.
To get started, here are three things you must know when you have hurt someone in a car accident.
The Injured Party Cannot Sue Your Insurance Company in Personal Injury Claims
The person that is hurt cannot sue your insurance company directly. Their only option is to file a lawsuit against you directly. This may not be their ideal scenario because they would most likely want to go against bigger fish such as State Farm, Allstate, or others. However, the rules do not allow them to take this route.
What’s more, even if the case eventually gets to court, the jury will be kept uninformed as to who your insurance company is. Even though you may be covered by an insurance policy, the jury will not have this information. In general, the lawyer for the defense will be fully paid for by the insurance company, and the judgment is paid by the insurance company in almost every case. This means that you do not have to worry about having to pay out of pocket if a large verdict is given. The defendant never has to pay yet, you may have to go through the whole ordeal to confirm that this information is correct.
You Will Have a Lawyer Appointed to You by The Insurance Company, And There Might Be a Conflict of Interest With You
You may feel reassured knowing that the insurance company has appointed a lawyer to represent you. However, you should keep in mind that their first loyalty will be to their employers and not to you. This means that their main objective is to safeguard the interests of the insurance company and avoid paying out a large amount. If things do not develop as they expect and they have to end up forking over money to the plaintiff, the cost of your policy will likely increase.
Worrying About Having to Pay Any Money Out of Your Own Pocket Is a Waste of Time
Unless something catastrophic happens that prevents your insurance company from paying out the amount ordered by the judge, it is very unlikely that you will have to open your checkbook and write out a check to the injured party. You can feel confident that whatever monies need to be paid will be paid out by your insurance company.
Depending on the circumstances of your case, particularly if you have seriously hurt someone, it may be in your best interest to hire legal representation on your own to work alongside the attorney paid for by the insurance company. It may be reassuring to know that someone is there to protect your own interests. Your lawyer will not be interested in fighting to save the insurance company any money. They will be interested in serving you.
