One of the first things you need to do after a car accident is file a car insurance claim. Of course, if the other driver was at fault, your insurance carrier will insist that they pay your claim. Usually, if your claim is relatively small, the insurance company will just pay it. There’s no point in paying thousands of dollars to fight a claim if it’s not large. If, however, they deny your claim, you’re going to have to file an appeal. Rather than let it get to this point, you should just hire a personal injury attorney in Baltimore right from the start.

If you aren’t sure where to find a lawyer, just go online and search for “a top auto accident lawyer near me.” Our firm will likely pop up in the search since we have some of the best car accident lawyers in Baltimore. Once you have our contact information, you can call our office and schedule your free, initial consultation. One of our associates can review your case and work on helping you file a car insurance claim.

Here, we’ll explain the claims process, so you have a better idea of what to expect. If you still have questions after reading this short article, feel free to give us a call. We can help answer any questions you may have about how to file a car insurance claim.

How Long Do You Have to File a Car Insurance Claim?

One of the questions a lot of our clients ask us is how long they have to file a car insurance claim. Most people know that there’s a statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit. However, they’re a bit less clear when it comes to an accident claim with the insurance company.

There’s a good reason most people are unclear. This is because every insurance company is a little different. Most of them don’t give an exact number of days in which you have to file a car insurance claim. Instead, they just tell you to file it within a “reasonable time.”

No personal injury attorney in Baltimore wants to hear the phrase “reasonable time.” The reason the insurance company uses this language is so that they have discretion over how long a claimant has to file their paperwork. Our firm will make sure we get your claim filed as soon as possible so they can’t say it was filed too late.

How Do You Find Out if Your Insurance Claim Has Been Approved?

One of the more frustrating things about filing an insurance claim is that you have to hurry up and wait. You waste no time getting your claim filed because you’re afraid of missing the deadline. However, it seems like the insurance carrier can take as long as they want to review it.

Typically, you’ll hear something back from the insurance company in a week or so after you file a car insurance claim. If it takes longer than that, your lawyer will reach out to them to find out what the delay is about. Ideally, they’ll approve your claim. If so, they’ll send a letter out with an approval notice and a check. If your claim is denied, you’ll receive a denial letter indicating why your claim hasn’t been approved. Once your attorney has this letter, they can get started on filing your appeal.

top auto accident lawyer near me

Why Would the Insurance Company Deny Your Claim?

It can be really frustrating to learn that your claim has been denied. The first thing you’ll want to know is why your claim was denied. There are several reasons why this could have happened, including:

  • You didn’t file a car insurance claim in time
  • The insurance company thinks you caused the crash
  • You didn’t submit all the necessary paperwork
  • The insurance adjuster doesn’t believe you were injured
  • The policy had lapsed for non-payment prior to the car accident

It doesn’t really matter what the reason was. Unless the policy was invalid for some reason, your personal injury attorney in Baltimore is going to file an appeal on your behalf. Once the insurance company has a chance to review your appeal, they’ll make a final decision. Ideally, they’ll just pay your claim. If they don’t, your attorney will have no choice but to file a lawsuit on your behalf.

How Long Will It Take if You Need to Sue?

One of the reasons you searched for a “top auto accident lawyer near me” is because you wanted the best to help you file a car insurance claim. If they recommend that you file suit, you should seriously consider it. One of the reasons the insurance company may have denied your claim is because they figured they could settle for less later on.

The good news is that there’s a good chance your case will settle out of court. More than 95% of all personal injury lawsuits in Maryland settle long before trial. This is because trials can be expensive and time-consuming. Neither party really wants to end up in front of a judge.

Your personal injury attorney in Baltimore will negotiate with the defendant and the insurance company to settle your case. It’s important to keep in mind that, if you settle, you aren’t going to receive your full claim amount. The whole point of a settlement is that you agree to receive less than you originally expected. However, your attorney will fight to get you as much money as possible.

Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney in Baltimore

If you’ve been involved in a car accident, you’ll need to file a car insurance claim right away. If you wait too long to do this, your claim may be denied. Rather than risk this happening, call a personal injury attorney in Baltimore before you file a car insurance claim. This is why you hire one of the top auto accident lawyers near you.

We recommend that you schedule your free consultation within days of your accident. This way, our team has time to review your case and still file your claim before the deadline expires. Since the consultation is free, you really have nothing to lose.

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