Virginia Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Blog

Sign Insurance Company Releases at Your Own Risk

Our "tagline" is that if you've been injured in an accident you may not need a lawyer but you should get the free books (The Accident Book, The Malpractice Book) before talking to the adjuster, hiring a lawyer or signing any forms.

Just this past week we've spoken to several folks who would have benefited from the education these books provide.

In one case, a personal injury claimant came to us as the statute of limitations was running on what seemed to be a very decent case. Unfortunately, she had hired an attorney who was not an experienced injury attorney and he had not done all of the work that was necessary to prepare the case or communicate with her. We declined the case as our job is not to fix the messess created by other lawyers.

In a second case, a claimant who's injuries have gotten more extensive after he signed a valid release wanted us to "undo" the release he signed to get the insurance company's offer of quick cash.

Sorry, we are lawyers, not magicians. You sign a release, you live with it.

Both cases demonstrate that there is a startling lack of knowledge out there about the claims process and even about hiring lawyers.

This is why I do all of the writing and speaking that I do on these subjects.