Almost without exception, two of the most common questions asked by my clients are: “Why do I need a lawyer” and “Why doesn’t the insurance company step up and (fill in the blank)?” The blank usually is “Why don’t they just fix my car? The accident was not my fault!” “Why don’t they pay my medical bills? The accident was not my fault!” It doesn’t seem fair, logical or even rational that the person that caused their accident paid an insurance company to cover any damages they caused and now that insurance company will not pay. Why doesn’t their insurance company pay for the damages their insured caused? Somehow none of it seems fair. The truth is fairness has nothing to do with it! So, the answer to the first question is answered by the answer to the second question.

But, in order to answer these questions, you have to understand the nature of insurance companies. There was a time when insurance companies focused on the insured who was paying the premium. The job of the insurance company was to protect their insured whether from damages they insured themselves against or damages they caused to another. That is no longer the basis for the existence of insurance companies. Now insurance companies are only interested in making a profit and therefore their focus is now on their stockholders. An excellent book on this subject which relates to Allstate Insurance Company is called From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves. ** It is easily obtainable through www. Amazon.com. Remember the slogan for Allstate; “You’re in Good Hands with Allstate!”? Now you have a fight on your hands to get any benefits from Allstate!

Just as an example to show you the attitude insurance companies have toward their insureds: there was a great article in the Tampa Bay Times. It wasn’t discussing auto insurers, it was talking about the life insurance company industry. You would think, if you had a life insurance policy, and you passed away, (making the policy payable to your beneficiary), the insurance company would seek out your beneficiary to make payment under your policy. If you were a beneficiary of someone’s policy and they passed away, you would expect the insurance company would seek you out for payment. The article sites a 60 Minutes program that discovered that even though the insurance company knows of the death, they do nothing to notify or locate the beneficiary. In fact, they talked about policies that should have been paid out in the 1960’s, 70’s, 80’s or 90’s, but were never paid. As a result, “these are billions of dollars that stay in the investment accounts of these insurance companies, rather than return money to those families.”*

This should give you a clearer insight into the world of insurance. None of it sounds fair, but as I said earlier, fairness has nothing to do with it. After reading this, you can understand why, despite the fact you are a victim who has suffered real and physical damages, the insurance company will not treat you fairly, so it is important for you to retain an attorney to be sure you are treated fairly!

If you have been injured as the result of someone else’s negligence, we are here to take up your fight for justice. Call 1-800-332-1992 for a free consultation.

*Tampa Bay Times, “Insurance industry forced to do its job” April 19, 2016
** From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves: The Dark Side of Insurance by David J. Berardinelli, Jan. 1, 2008