A person who is injured due to the negligence of others, or who is dealing with an insurance company or insurance agent, may find the experience frustrating, stressful and confusing. Injury victims encounter heartless insurance company representatives who are not responsive to the needs and concerns of the innocent party.

The most common problems are that the insurance company refuses to pay medical bills or will not fairly compensate the victim for car or truck repairs. Some insurance company representatives fail to return telephone calls or do not respond to letters in a timely manner (if at all).

They do not care that the negligent party caused inconvenience, bill collectors, pain and suffering, trauma, serious injury and, in some instances, death. It matters not to them that the injured person is a helpless victim who is being punished due to the fault of another.

Another approach insurance representatives may use is to "become your friend" by suggesting they are concerned about you, that they are there to help you and that a lawyer is not necessary. Please always remember that these people negotiate claims for a living. Their income (and that of their boss) may depend in part upon how successful they are in depriving injury victims of the fair and just compensation they deserve.

Insurance companies are cunning folks. They want your signature on the papers because once a case is settled, the company is forever legally relieved of any obligation to make additional payments on the settled claim, regardless of what happens in the future to the person who suffered bodily injury.

Keep in mind that the law imposes time limits on how long an injury victim has to bring a case. If those time limits are not met, the injured person cannot recover against the wrongdoer or the insurance company for the wrongdoer. This is just one example of the many ways in which the law is a trap for those without knowledge of the process and the law.

You may not know that your own motor vehicle insurance policy probably offers benefits to you if you are involved in an accident while in a vehicle for which your insurance company wrote you a policy, or if you are a pedestrian struck by another vehicle. This coverage is available to you if the wrongdoer's company refuses to pay your medical bills or if that driver either had no insurance or did not have enough to compensate you for your losses.

Let us deal with the insurance company and all the complexities. And remember that in injury and worker's compensation cases, there is no fee unless you collect.