After your recent accident, if an insurer wrote your car off as a total loss, you may be able to refute them or argue for more compensation than what they are offering. Our legal team at Kaine Law can help you make your argument, strengthen your claim, and recover the compensation you deserve.
If you decide to reach out to us, we can tell you more about how a Lawrenceville car accident lawyer from our firm can help you during your free consultation. We can answer your questions about what legal options are available to you.
Can You Negotiate a Total Loss?
If an insurer deemed your vehicle to be a total loss, you don’t necessarily have to accept that decision or any offer. You have the ability to negotiate, and you can contact a Lawrenceville personal injury lawyer for legal support. You have several options:
You Can Negotiate for the Repair of Your Car
When the insurer made their determination, they used their own formula to calculate the cost of fully repairing your vehicle, and then they compared that cost to the vehicle’s fair market value. The insurer decided your car is worth only the market value, and now they’re compensating you for that amount.
Your car may be worth more to you than the market value. If so, you may disagree with the insurer’s decision. You have the right to reject that decision and to negotiate with the insurer for them to cover the repair of your car. However, the insurance company has the right to push back.
You Can Negotiate for a Salvage Title
You have another option available to you if your car is damaged but still safe to operate, but the insurer still determines it’s a total loss. In this case, you can negotiate with them for a salvage title for the vehicle.
Your title will be marked as “salvage,” which will affect your vehicle’s sale value. However, the salvage title would let you keep the vehicle, receive a reduced total loss payment from the insurer, and repair the vehicle yourself.
You Can Negotiate for a Fairer Total Loss Offer
Alternatively, you may accept the insurer’s decision but disagree with the compensation amount they are offering. In this case, you can reject their total loss payment offer and negotiate a fairer offer with them.
For a free legal consultation with a total loss lawyer serving Lawrenceville, call 404-214-2001
What Kind of Compensation Can I Get for My Vehicle?
If you decide to negotiate with the insurer to have them cover your car’s repairs, then you should ask for a compensation amount that will fully cover those repairs. The insurer may or may not offer that full amount but you can argue for any amount you believe you deserve.
If you decide to negotiate for a fairer total loss offer, you should ask the insurer to compensate you for your car’s market value according to your own research. You should do this research on AutoTrader.com, Kelley Blue Book, and/or Kelley Black Book. You can ask for the highest value you find, which will give you room to negotiate later.
If you decide to negotiate for a salvage title, you can ask for a total loss payment amount you’re comfortable with.
Other Damages
Regardless of what you do, you should also ask for the added value of any repairs, improvements, and other modifications you made to your vehicle. The insurer likely won’t compensate you for all of them, but you should still ask and even insist.
Additionally, you may want to ask the insurer for the data they used for their determination. This data may indicate the insurer did not make you a fair offer for a write-off. If they didn’t, you may be able to recover other damages from them through a bad-faith claim or suit.
You may find it difficult to demand damages from the insurer, negotiate with them, and resolve your case. All this can be especially difficult if the insurer isn’t fair to you.
Lawrenceville Total Loss Lawyer Near Me 404-214-2001
How Our Lawrenceville Law Firm Can Help You
At Kaine Law, we understand the claims process well and know the tactics insurers use to delay, diminish, or deny claims. A Lawrenceville total loss lawyer from our firm can help you by:
- Protecting you against any bad-faith tactics the insurer may use
- Suing the insurer if they still use any bad-faith tactics
- Determining what an insurance policy covers
- Obtaining and analyzing the data the insurer used to make their determination
- Looking up the fair market value of your vehicle
- Determining which damages you can claim and help you determine their value
- Collecting proof of your damages
- Demanding a fair payout covering your damages
- Negotiating your payout for you
- Taking the insurer to court, if necessary
Additionally, if you’re suffering injuries after your accident, a Lawrenceville personal injury lawyer from our firm can help you recover damages for those injuries. Your lawyer can file a personal injury claim for such damages as medical expenses, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.
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Contact Kaine Law for a Free Consultation
Our attorneys at Kaine Law have decades of experience with cases like yours. Many of our cases involve total losses and serious injuries. We’ve been able to achieve excellent results, and our lead attorney, attorney Evan Kaine, was able to qualify for the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. This is a prestigious group that offers membership to only those few attorneys who have million and multi-million-dollar verdicts or settlements.
We understand what you’re going through right now, and we know how to help. You have different options following your car accident, and a total loss attorney from our firm can help you explore those options. You can be sure your Lawrenceville total loss lawyer will do everything they can for you. To learn more, contact Kaine Law today to schedule a free consultation.
Call or text 404-214-2001 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
