If your car has been hit by another car and you sustained injuries, you may want to file an insurance claim with the insurance provider of the at-fault driver. In Illinois, drivers who cause road accidents should pay for the injuries and losses sustained by their victims.  

While insurance companies provide assistance when needed, they are also businesses. Thus, they want to focus on their profitability, which means looking for reasons to pay claimants less. Because of this, you want to know they go about evaluating your injury claim and work with a car accident lawyer Rockford, IL who will ensure your claim Is not undervalued. When you file a car accident claim, here’s what you can expect:

Communication with an Insurance Adjuster

After you file a claim, an adjuster will contact you to collect additional information about your accident. The adjuster will investigate your claim and fight insurance fraud. However, as insurance companies are concerned about their bottom line, they may deny even legitimate claims. 

Claim Investigation

During your initial contact with an insurance adjuster, they will start to assess your claim. So, you should try to record what you can remember about the accident to avoid giving contrasting information. In general, an investigation includes collecting photos for evidence, inspecting your car for damage, taking witness statements, visiting the accident scene, and recording your statement regarding the crash. 

Using a Software Program

These days, the majority of insurance carriers use software programs for assessing claims. These programs let adjusters input some data into the system to come up with an appropriate settlement figure for your claim.

Higher injuries like broken bones and any injury that requires surgery get higher values. Insurers differ in terms of how they approach the recommended settlement range. Some companies stay within this range while others perform a separate evaluation.

Factors that Impact Your Settlement

Car accident settlement amounts are more than your medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage. When an insurer assesses the worth of your claim, it should take into account some factors to arrive at a reasonable value. These factors include the total cost of your diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from the injury, the cost of car repair or replacement, the number of days or weeks you needed to miss from work due to your injury, the degree of everyday life disruptions, the impact of your injury on your earning capacity, possible mental or emotional trauma you sustained, the recovery timeline, and whether or not you can still fully recover from the injury.