Personal Injury Law in Ireland
General Advice For Dealing With Insurance Companies
When you've been injured, the more significant those injuries are, the more thought you should give to contacting our offices before you provide any information to an insurance company. If you do not have legal representation, the information you give could come back to haunt you. An insurance company generally must cover related medical bills, costs you've paid that are related to the accident, and pain and suffering, in addition to the actual amount of your property. If your car was not significantly damaged, this, in and of itself, is not sufficient to allow Insurance to refuse to cover your medical bills. This is because human bodies react differently to impacts than do cars, and a person may suffer tremendous injuries even with a slight impact. In addition, insurance companies must pay for your medical bills to cover a pre-existing injury that was made worse by the accident and should also cover transportation to therapy sessions.
If you are injured, you will need to have the other party's insurance company cover the damages. If the other party does not carry insurance, you may have to rely on your own insurance to cover the damages. In both scenarios, though, you will soon have to meet with an insurance adjuster, which can be an intimidating experience. That's why it's recommended that you contact our offices and let us help you through the process. An experienced Lawyer will begin by notifying the responsible parties of the injury and of the claim and will also completely investigate the circumstances of the injury. It will be helpful to your lawyer if you can provide copies of the police reports, photos of the accident, names and addresses of witnesses (with statements of what was seen), traffic tickets given to the responsible party, wage stubs to prove how much you make and how much time you missed at work due to the injury, medical records and bills, photographs of your injuries, and any other documents that show how the injury has impacted your life.
Until your injuries have stabilized, your lawyer may not want to begin negotiation with the insurance company. This is to help determine the long-term effects of the injury. Sometimes, this can take months or years. It's important to be patient during this step and not pressure your lawyer into negotiating prematurely with the insurance company. You will only hurt yourself if you force your claim to be settled before the extent of the injuries are known.
What follows next is complex communication between your Lawyer and the insurance company that includes a demand letter that outlines your injuries and the amount of your settlement. This is why it is important to hire a Lawyer to negotiate with the insurance company for you. Only a professional with experience in this field can get you the best settlement with the insurance company.
If the Lawyer is not successful in negotiating with the insurance company, then the matter can be sent to the PIAB. (Please see the section on this site regarding the PIAB)
REMEMBER: There are important time frames in which you MUST act in order to protect your claim.
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The solicitors at Damian Nolan & Co.,
Solicitors (incorporating William A.
James & Co.)
have more than 40 years of combined experience
in the following areas of law:
Residential conveyancing, commercial conveyancing, family law, divorce, separations, child custody matters, personal injury*, business law, wills and probate, civil litigation*, employment law, defamation, civil litigation*
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