When your car, light truck, or SUV is determined to be a total loss after an auto accident, it is not unusual for the insurance company to make you an initial offer that is well below the actual fair market value of your vehicle. In such cases, consulting with a trusted and reliable personal injury attorney can help ensure that you receive a fair settlement that accurately reflects your vehicle’s true value. You may also need a third party auto valuation, and Collision Claim, Bob Bratt can help you get a fair, independent vehicle appraisal and get your total loss claim started.

Now that I understood the concept and verified that Florida gives you four years to file a lawsuit, I contacted the insurance company last September — 21 months after the accident — and surprisingly got a cordially written response acknowledging the claim with a request for more information. It is important that you consult with a personal injury lawyer immediately after the accident so you know which steps to take that will protect your eligibility for compensation.

 

They sure knew what diminished value was. A month later I had a written settlement offer. Who needed to pay for an appraisal?

But the insurance company had never looked at our car and didn’t provide any documentation for the settlement amount. Figuring that this probably wasn’t their best and final offer, and recognizing the need for a thorough appraisal, we decided it might be wise to consult an oklahoma auto accident lawyer. A detailed court-ready appraisal report, which a cincinnati rear end accident attorney could help facilitate, started to make more sense.