How does Allstate insurance value a bicycle injury claim?

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Bicycle accidents in the United States are extremely prevalent. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1,000 bicyclists die and over 130,000 are injured every year on roads in the United States.

If you have been injured in a bicycle accident, you may have to deal with the at-fault driver’s insurance company, and Allstate is one of the largest insurers in the nation. Like all insurance companies, Allstate is primarily concerned with making a profit, and it does so by minimizing how much it pays out in injury claims.

After your bicycle injury, you need accident attorneys experienced in handling the insurance companies. Call Zinda Law Group at (800) 863-5312 for a free consultation with a skilled bicycle accident attorney.

How does allstate insurance value a bicycle injury claim?

Generally speaking, the value of your bicycle injury claim is tied to the total of your damages. Your damages include your economic losses, like medical bills, as well as the physical, mental, and emotional anguish that you experience as a result of your bicycle accident. Financial compensation is meant to make the victim of an accident whole so they can get back to their life the way it was before the accident.

Factors affecting your allstate payout

Allstate payouts are affected by many different factors and each case will be unique in the determination of the final amount. Some of the main factors that could come into play in your case include:

Your Economic Losses

Because insurance exists to make people whole after an accident, what you could receive will depend largely on what you lost. Your economic losses include things like medical bills, damage to your property, and even lost wages from being unable to work. Your economic losses certainly include losses that you have already incurred, and they may even include future losses if you are able to show what they could be.

The Impact on Your Life

In addition to your economic losses, which are objective and verifiable through things like bills and receipts, your total payout may also be impacted by subjective factors such as the pain and suffering that you experience because of the injuries. For example, if your accident dramatically reduces your quality of life by preventing you from participating in activities you enjoyed before or spending time with loved ones, your payout may be higher as a result. An experienced attorney may be better suited to frame your case in a way to maximize these more subjective types of damages.

Allegations of Fault

Even if your injuries are severe and have an outsized impact on your life, your insurance company may try to offer you less compensation if they think that you were at least partially at fault for the bicycle accident that caused them. While insurance companies may present themselves as always having your back, it is important to remember that they are companies that exist to turn a profit. This means that they will take every opportunity to pay injury victims as little as they have to, and one of these methods can be to argue that you bore more of the fault for the accident than you think is fair.

How to negotiate a settlement offer from allstate?

While all claims are unique, there are a general set of steps involved in negotiating a settlement offer from Allstate and skipping any one of them could mean a reduced settlement offer, or even not receiving any insurance payout at all.

File a Claim

The first step in the process will always be to file a claim. Until you file a claim, there is nothing to negotiate, and the insurance company isn’t even aware of your injuries. Even if they are aware, they are probably not going to take the initiative to reach out and offer you money. In addition, filing a claim quickly is important because you likely have a timeframe starting from the date of your injury within which you must alert your insurance company or else risk not being covered.

Document your Case

One of the best ways to support a strong claim is to make sure to keep good records at every point along the way. This can include, but isn’t limited to, police reports, medical records, property repair bills and any photos or videos of the accident scene. Remember, it is always better to be overprepared than underprepared.

Hire an Attorney

Hiring the right attorney may be the most important thing you do during the duration of your claim. A lawyer who has experience with bicycle accidents will likely know how to proper value your claim to ensure that you don’t take a lowball offer. They will also likely have experience with the common tricks used by insurance adjusters to try to get victims to take lowball settlement offers and can help fight against them.  When you have strong legal representation on your side, it can take a huge weight off your shoulders and make it that much easier to fight for fair compensation for your injuries.

Send a Demand Letter

After your attorney has a solid understanding of the facts of your case, then can begin the negotiation process by sending a demand letter to your insurance company. This letter should be clear and detailed and include all the information that supports the amount of money that you are requesting. An attorney who has handled similar types of claims before should be able to draft this letter in such a way as to maximize the strengths of your case while minimizing any potential weaknesses.

Reject Lowball Offers

Because your insurance company wants to pay you as little as they are legally obligated to, they will likely respond to your demand with a lowball offer in return, or even deny that you have a claim at all. They may also respond with picky requests for details, argue with your valuation, or look for holes in your story to be able to discredit your claim and avoid paying. Again, it is important to have an attorney on your side who is familiar with these tactics and who can help defend your case against them.

Need help? Contact Zinda Law Group Today!

If you were injured in an accident, you may need an experienced bicycle injury lawyer to help guide you through the process. The bicycle injury attorneys at Zinda Law Group have negotiated with all the major insurance companies and have experience handling many different types of cases. Our attorneys have access to cutting-edge technologies to be able to support your claim in important ways, but also have manageable caseloads that allow them to give each case the attention that it really needs and deserves.

In addition, Zinda Law Group believes that accident victims shouldn’t need to worry about their ability to afford legal representation when they have so much else on their plate to worry about, which is why offer a No Win, No Fee Guarantee—you won’t pay us anything until and unless we win your case for you.

Call 800-863-5312 today to receive a free consultation.

Meetings with attorneys are available by appointment only.