Will My Insurance Go Up If I Hire an Injury Attorney?

Car accidents can be costly – both to your health and your finances. When another driver is responsible for the crash, it’s important to ensure your rights are protected.

While you will typically seek compensation from the other driver’s insurance company, the circumstances change if the other driver is uninsured or underinsured. The question is whether you’ll face an insurance premium increase for filing a car accident insurance claim with your company if the other driver is uninsured.    

Does Filing an Uninsured Motorist Claim Affect Your Car Insurance Premium? 

Thanks to Virginia car accident legislation, an insurance company cannot legally raise your premium for filing a claim as long as you were not at fault for the accident. If you have uninsured motorist coverage (referred to as UM or UIM for underinsured motorists), the premiums you pay to the insurance company are designed specifically for this purpose. 

Therefore, if you’re hit by an uninsured driver and file a claim, your insurance company will not initiate a rate increase. 

Why Hire a Personal Injury Attorney for an Uninsured Motorist Claim 

Assuming you have UM or UIM coverage, you might be wondering why you need an attorney at all, especially now that you know your car insurance premiums won’t go up.

Insurance companies will still look for any excuse to minimize the value of your claim or even deny it. Insurance process navigation can become complicated, and the assistance of an experienced attorney can be extremely beneficial in getting fair compensation for your personal injury claims. 

For example, a car insurance company may attempt to deny your claim in the following scenarios: 

• There is a dispute about whether you have UM or UIM coverage and what your policy limits ar
  
• The accident was a hit-and-run, and the insurance company challenges the validity of your clai
  
• The insurance company argues that you were partially at fault, which can bar compensation under Virginia’s contributory negligence standar
  
• You and your insurance company disagree over the value of your claim, and the company tries to “lowball” yo
  
• The insurance company attempts to reduce your claim by denying the need for future medical car
  
• The insurance company argues that your injuries are the result of a pre-existing medical condition 

Each of the scenarios above could result in receiving a personal injury settlement that is drastically less than it is actually worth. Further, negotiating with an insurance company while you’re in recovery can add to the stress and pain you’re already feeling.

The advantage of hiring a personal injury attorney, especially Geoff McDonald & Associates, is that you don’t have to pay anything upfront. Because most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency-fee-basis, they will represent you at no cost, and you only pay for services as a percentage of your settlement. 

If you are facing a situation where your claim is being denied, or you are offered a settlement that you feel is below what it should be, a personal injury attorney can help. According to a study conducted by the Insurance Research Council, accident victims represented by an attorney received settlement amounts that were 3.5 times higher than those who went head-to-head against insurance companies without hiring legal representation.

Injured in an Accident? Contact Geoff McDonald & Associates Today 

For more than 25 years, our compassionate and experienced personal injury attorneys have been standing up for the rights of car accident victims across Virginia. We offer free case evaluations, and there is no fee unless we win. Contact us at (804) 635-3508 for a legal consultation.