Geico is an acronym for Government Employees Insurance Company, and it insures more than 23 million motor vehicles in the United States. It formerly provided car insurance to military personnel and their families, but it has now branched out to insuring the general public.
Cashing premium checks and paying as little as possible after car accidents
Many of GEICO's new customer insurance applications are taken online or over the phone, thereby circumventing payment of agent commissions. That saves any insurance company missions. GEICO is now owned by Berkshire Hathaway, and in 2016, its underwriting profits rose from $53 million to over $150 million. It has a good history of serving the people who it insures, but if you're an opposing injury claimant, or you're filing an uninsured motorist claim, GEICO will do whatever it legally can to minimize whatever it might pay out on your claim. That's a major component of any insurance company's business plan.
Get a police report
Whether you were injured as a result of the carelessness and negligence of a driver who was insured by GEICO, or you were insured by GEICO, and you were injured by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver, you must have a police report that documents your accident. Never get talked out of having police come to the scene of any motor vehicle crash that you might be involved in. Your entire case can turn on the accident report of the police officer who investigates your crash. Your case will carry little credibility with anybody without that police accident report, and that investigating officer might be the best witness that you have on your side of the case.
You only get one chance
Unless your claim against GEICO involves some simple property damage without injuries, you probably don't want to bring any type of bodily injury claim against the insurer without an attorney. The law gives you one and only one chance to obtain maximum compensation for you injuries. Don't provide a medical authorization, give a recorded or written statement or otherwise communicate with GEICO on any personal injury claim. The law doesn't require you to give that authorization or statement, and GEICO will only try to use any information that it obtains from you against you in the future. That's when the value of any case that you might have goes down and down.
Contact a Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer
Rather than helping GEICO build its defense against you, contact us for a free consultation and case assessment as soon as possible after your accident, so you can receive your settlement check from GEICO as fast as possible. Don't make mistake after mistake in trying to represent yourself in an injury claim. It's unlikely that a judge will allow you to cure those mistakes. The more mistakes that you make, the more that the value of your personal injury claim decreases. That's when GEICO or any other auto insurer has you right where they want you.
We're not going to make the mistakes that you're going to make when you're trying to represent yourself. Invoke and protect your rights by calling us right away after being injured in any accident involving the fault of a driver insured by GEICO. There's no obligation whatsoever. If we're retained to represent you, we'll protect your rights for you while endeavoring to maximize the value of your claim. There aren't even any legal fees unless we obtain a settlement or verdict on your behalf.
