When a person has been involved in a motor vehicle accident in Ohio, they will usually have to file a claim with an insurance company. American Family Insurance is one such company.
While insurance companies are obligated to pay valid injury claims, some insurers deny or limit payments for various reasons. This, of course, is not fair to you. Our lawyers can guide you through the insurance claims process.
What Damages Could I Recover by Filing an American Family Insurance Claim?
Your accident could have involved relatively little property damage, but still resulting in serious injuries. Regardless of your losses, you could be overwhelmed by bills and expenses. Filing a claim with an insurer could help you pay for these accident-related losses.
The Ohio Department of Insurance confirms that you could obtain damages for:
- Medical bills, including emergency and ongoing care
- Vehicle repair or replacement
You may have to file a lawsuit to secure damages for further losses. Doing so could provide you with an award that considers:
- Lost wages you missed out on while recovering
- Reduced earning capacity if your accident affects your future ability to work
- Transportation to and from medical appointments if your car was totaled
- Pain and suffering
- Reduced enjoyment of life
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How to File American Family Insurance Claims in Ohio
After an automobile accident, a person will usually have two options for filing claims. One is to file a claim with your own insurance company. You could also file with another driver’s insurance company (third-party claims).
Some claims are third-party claims because the other party usually bears responsibility for an accident. Third-party claims may not be possible when the applicable insurance company is unknown (like in a hit-and-run), or the other driver was uninsured.
Filing a claim with your own insurer can be easier and may involve less work, but it can also involve payment of a deductible. No deductible will be involved in a third-party claim, but the process will take longer, and there could be insurance limits that limit what compensation can be recovered.
How American Family Insurance Handles Insurance Claims
For the victims of automobile accidents, it is always recommended that you collect as much evidence as possible at the crash scene, immediately seek medical attention, and then contact your own insurance company. The insurance company will have a different approach to handling an injury claim.
Insurers are focused on their corporate interests. As a result, they will protect themselves and pay what they feel is adequate compensation for injury victims. This frequently means that people will have to deal with such issues as:
- American Family Insurance disputing what happened in a collision
- American Family Insurance presenting evidence that absolves their own policyholder
- American Family Insurance questioning the injuries and treatment
The insurer might undervalue or unfairly deny your claim. Our team can represent you to get a reasonable settlement.
Comparative Negligence Could Impact Your American Family Insurance Claim
As the Ohio Department of Insurance notes, Ohio started following a comparative negligence doctrine in 1980. Negligence is defined as
“the failure to exercise the degree of care required of a reasonable and prudent person in any given circumstance resulting in injury or damage to another.”
Comparative negligence allows an at-fault party to recover damages for an accident, but their own share of negligence will reduce their award. If a person is found to have been more than 50 percent at fault for an accident, they cannot receive recovery.
American Family Insurance may determine the other party is negligent instead of their client. Our team may use evidence to prove the other party’s negligence.
We Will Be
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You All The Way
What Your Lawyer Can Do for You in Your Pursuit for Damages
Our team can support you in many ways you might not expect. We can do the following for you:
- Gather evidence of your losses
- Help determine a value to your losses
- Answer your questions
- Inform you of your legal rights and options
- Negotiate with insurers for a fair settlement
- Take your case to trial, if the need arises
- Keep you updated throughout the case
- Recruit experts and accident reconstructionists to support your claim
- Stay informed of relevant timelines that affect your case
The Fitch Law Firm LLC Is Ready to Stand by You Throughout Your Case
If you suffered serious injuries in any kind of accident in Ohio, The Fitch Law Firm LLC can help you. We handle cases in Franklin County, Delaware County, and Fairfield County. Mr. Fitch has over 30 years of legal experience and our firm has achieved multiple case results involving more than $1 million.
Call The Fitch Law Firm LLC Today So We Can Get Started on Your Case
Call The Fitch Law Firm LLC for a free consultation with the Fitch Law Firm LLC. Our firm has Columbus, Dayton, Marion, and Springfield office locations. We will come to you in your home or hospital room if you cannot come to our office in person.
You do not have to handle insurance claims by yourself. Contact our firm today. We want to hear what happened and tell you about your options for recovering damages.