If you have been injured by someone else’s negligence in Delaware, Wilmington personal injury lawyer Basil Kollias can help you claim compensation from them or their insurance company.
Injuries can happen to anyone, no matter how careful. In Wilmington, you could be coming off I-95 one moment, and wake up in St Francis Hospital the next, or you might be shopping in a store upright one moment, and nursing a concussion on the floor, wondering why no one cleaned up the oil you just slipped on.
Such injuries can occur through no fault of your own, and when they do, it is only normal to assume that those responsible will cover the costs. The law makes the same assumption, allowing you to pursue those whose negligence caused you harm with a personal injury claim to recover financial compensation.
Unfortunately, the insurance companies that are actually responsible for paying these claims are not always as cooperative. As a personal injury lawyer in Wilmington, Delaware, attorney Basil Kollias has seen more than enough of insurance company tactics and is ready to help you hold those responsible for your injury accountable.
Delaware is a haven for businesses, especially banks and insurers, and Wilmington even has more than its fair share of insurance company offices and headquarters. But the favors that we give these companies to locate here do not get returned in kind. Insurers are just as likely to leave injured Delaware residents high and dry when it comes time to pay up.
Regardless of whether you have been injured in:
You have a right to demand that they pay for your losses, costs, and harms, from hospital bills to the pain and suffering eating away at the quality of your life.
However, the insurance companies that actually have the resources to pay that compensation are not going to roll over and part with their profits without a fight. And often, they won’t even fight fair, which is one of the many reasons you should call on a personal injury lawyer to help you hold them accountable.
Insurance companies absolve themselves of guilt over paying out less than you deserve (and need) by telling themselves they are only paying what you can prove they owe or are willing to accept, and not one penny more or one penny less. Unfortunately, they are putting a lot of resources and sometimes borderline unethical tactics into pushing that number down so they can keep their profits high.
After an accident or injury in Wilmington, you might find them doing any of the following (and a lot more besides) to try and pay out less on personal injury cases, especially if you do not have a lawyer to defend your claim.
Insurance company agents will often reach out after an injury, always smiling, with an offer to help get you back on your feet and cover your immediate and pressing financial needs with an oh-so-generous sum. All you have to do is sign a paper saying you won't demand more from them.
Such a scene plays out nearly every day to someone in Wilmington or elsewhere in Delaware, and many families would not know any better than to accept. Unfortunately, in doing so, you can sign away your right to demand more compensation when the full extent of your injuries (and the costs associated with them) becomes clear later.
Never sign or agree to anything without a lawyer to at least review the offer.
Other insurance companies prefer to take a different approach, absolving themselves of any financial responsibility by putting the blame for the incident or accident on you, or arguing that their client was not acting negligently or did not cause the injury.
If fault and negligence are indisputable, they might instead claim that your injuries were caused by a pre-existing condition, or by another accident you suffered before or since the one with their client.
Sometimes these claims are genuine, when there is some doubt as to the origins of the accident or your injury, but often they are one more tactic meant to delay paying you, or push you into accepting a lower settlement during negotiations.
One of the strongest tools in any insurance company negotiator’s (or litigator’s) arsenal is your own words and actions. They will record every call and communication with you for statements, even innocuous ones, for ammunition to use to undermine the severity of your injury or your corresponding claim for compensation.
Similarly, if they can catch you not going to the doctor or physical therapist, or failing to follow important instructions by your physician, they will not hesitate to use that to claim you are faking or overreacting. If the claim goes to trial, they may even hire someone to follow you around Wilmington, or at the very least to comb through your social media accounts, to find evidence they can use against you.
Make sure you do not give them any by working with a skilled lawyer who can handle your communication and help make sure they take your claim seriously.
Kollias Law | We stand ready to help you get back on your feet after an accident or injury.
While Wilmington insurance companies can be cutthroat, they are still overwhelmingly motivated by profit. That means that if they believe it will cost them more to fight your claim than to settle for a reasonable amount, they are likely to settle to cut costs.
One of the most effective ways to show these big Delaware insurance companies you mean business and will not be pushed around is to work with an experienced personal injury lawyer, like Basil Kollias. The best part? He won’t even charge you a penny in advance for his services, and will only take a reasonable amount of what he is able to help you pry from the insurance company.
If you or a loved one has been injured in Wilmington or anywhere nearby, call us
(302) 444-8140 right away at or reach out online to discuss your situation if you have run afoul of an insurance company after an injury or claim.
