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GEICO Car Accident Lawyer - Help, Settlements, and Tips

GEICO's insurance adjusters use certain tricks to prevent victims from receiving full compensation. These tips always help!

Obtaining a fair and just car accident settlement with GEICO insurance in 2021 requires knowing how and why the insurance company decides which claims will not receive adequate damages. An experienced Texas car accident lawyer can help and understands the games GEICO’s adjuster are trained to play, but car accident victims sometimes don't and end up settling for pennies when they were entitled to much larger settlement figures.

As of January 1, 2021, Geico, a fully-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway by Warren Buffet, has over 11 million policyholders and insures more than 17 million vehicles while remaining still one of the fastest growing auto insurers in the nation. We have all laughed or smiled while watching their Gecko drink coffee and can quote their slogans, but victims of car accidents in Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and across the State of Texas quickly realize that dealing with Geico adjusters after an car accident is not a laughing matter.

In you need to file a claim against the at-fault driver with GEICO, call an car accident lawyer that regularly has successful obtaining maximum compensation against the company - Attorneys Niles Sneed and Brit Mitchell have inside knowledge of GEICO claim handling process, bodily injury evaluation, claim escalation process, and pain and suffering algorithm. Our law firm, Sneed|Mitchell LLP - The Injury team is a national law firm based in Houston with multiple law offices around the State and an extended network of dedicated lawyers across the country experienced at handling GEICO.

No matter where you are located, Sneed|Mitchell LLP can help you with your GEICO car accident settlement, so call or contact us now. We are open, for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 866-434-0014, or fill out our contact form and a lawyer will call you now.

Do Not Provide Geico A Recorded Statement

As of January 1, 2021, a recorded statement is NOT required under Texas law! After you’ve been involved in an car accident and file a claim with GEICO insurance, an adjuster will contact you within 24 hours to inform you the claim is still “pending liability.” This is the beginning of the game. Usually, a few days later you’ll receive an additional call from an adjuster telling you the claim is “under review”, but that your recorded statement before they can accept liability, do not agree.

Recorded statements with GEICO are not meant to get you the compensation you deserve in a timely manner. Rather, they are meant to have the opposite effect and delay, refute, and reduce your just claim. GEICO adjusters use several tactics to exploit recorded statements:

Inconsistent statements. GEICO car accident adjusters will pick apart your statement by pitting it against your statements to police officers, other drivers, or anyone else. Geico does this to reduce the amount of liability on their driver, don't allow this to happen.
Trick questions. GEICO ask questions that trick you into damaging your own car accident claim. Often, people do not even realize they are being tricked until it is too late. Questions such as, "Did you see the motorcycle before the crash?"
Incomplete answers. Sometimes, well-intentioned victims are led into giving incomplete or wrong answers that GEICO later twists or deliberately misinterprets. Car accident may also forget to mention important details that could support their Geico car accident settlement.
Too much information. Sometimes, crash victims offer more information than the adjuster asks for. They may accidentally mention a preexisting injury, or otherwise give the adjuster a way to dispute the victim’s legitimate car accident claim.
Too soon to know your injuries. Some injuries take time to fully manifest your consequences. The GEICO adjuster might record your statement before you’ve learned the full extent of your injuries, the long-term treatments you could need, or your prognosis, leading you to downplay the actual extent of your injuries.
Statements used against you. Recorded statements aren’t given under oath, but anything you say to a GEICO adjuster can still be used against your claim.

This is blatantly untrue. Under Texas law, you are not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance adjuster. Giving a recorded statement rarely helps a GEICO car accident settlement. You do not want to even give an oral statement without first discussing it with your attorney. Call or reach us online now to learn more about your potential Geico car accident settlement. We will review your case in a free consultation.

How Geico Pay Claims

GEICO adjusters attempt to settle their claims as quickly as possible so that the car accident victim doesn’t have the time to realize that what they accepted is a very bad idea. The following are some reasons why you should NEVER accept an offer without first reviewing it with an experienced auto accident lawyer:

Typically, GEICO’s first offer is EXTREMELY LOW
Accepting the first offer in order to settle quickly may mean that your settlement doesn’t cover the complete extent of your damages.
Settlement agreements always stipulate that victims waive their rights to seek additional money from their accident, including expenses that may arise after the settlement
GEICO adjusters will do everything they can to convince you that accepting their offer is in your best interests. That is NOT TRUE. Our car accident attorneys know better. They can review all offers and provide knowledgeable advice based on their evaluation of your claim.

Our clients that tried to handle their claim initially against GEICO without an attorney always tell us how negotiations ended with GEICO’s adjusters, and it’s always a similar story. GEICO’s adjusters started negotiations by offering around $250-$350 for their pain and suffering, and ended negotiations offering around $800-$1,000 - this is not just compensation, this is abyssal and ridiculous, you deserve the maximum owed in relation to how the car accident has impacted your life.

Don’t take GEICO adjusters at their word. Protecting your GEICO car accident settlement requires actively protecting your claim. Contact an experienced auto insurance claims attorney and have them advise you. We will fight for your best interests; our experience means we know how to maximize deserved compensation for you and your family.

All too often, the victims of car accidents don’t realize that the first offer GEICO makes isn’t final. Victims can fight for a higher settlement amount. Our trained, skilled negotiators are regularly able to obtain much higher amounts than those originally offered by GEICO. Don’t accept GEICO’s offer without consulting a professional first.

Be Careful What You Say To An Insurance Adjuster

Although a GEICO adjuster may ask you specific questions about your injuries, you are not required to answer any of them and shouldn't. Many GEICO claims adjusters use recorded statements to try and trip-up car accident victims, getting them to say things that will hurt their claim, and adjusters are experts at this. Some of the questions typically asked by GEICO adjusters includes:

When did you first go to the doctor?
What type of injury did you suffer?
What type of medical treatment are you receiving?
What is the severity of your condition?
How long will it take to recover from your injury?
Have you been in any car accidents before this one?

In many cases, car accident victims suffer injuries with delayed symptoms that are not always apparent after an accident and often don't realize they are injured until 48 to 72 hours after the accident. Some of the injuries that have delayed symptoms are whiplash , concussions , spinal cord injuries, and shoulder injuries. If you speak with an adjuster before fully understanding the type of treatment you may require, it can severely lessen your claim and sometimes erase the ability to receive compensation.

For this reason, if you speak to a GEICO insurance adjuster, only provide them basic details, such as that you have been injured and that you have consulted with a health care provider to determine if you require medical additional treatment. This is the most that should be shared the GEICO insurance adjuster before hiring an experienced car accident attorney to protect your claim and recovery opportunity.

Do not give a GEICO insurance adjuster the ability to twist your works and accept less than 100% liability when their insurance was clearly at-fault. Our car accident lawyers know how important it is to guard our client’s story. We can handle all of the communications with GEICO’s adjuster to make sure nothing is recorded that can negatively impact your claim, so contact our office right now at 866-434-0014 or submit your claim for evaluation now by CLICKING HERE.

Choose Where You Want Your Vehicle Repaired

No matter what the GEICO insurance adjuster tells you, you do NOT have to use their body shop, and this is supported by existing case law. GEICO has “repair contracts” with many mechanic and collision shops in your area, but this is not for your peace of mind. If you go to their repair shop, it will only benefit GEICO as the agreement between the companies is to negotiate labor and material rates, as well as obtain discounts on parts.

Lower repair estimates allow GEICO’s bodily injury adjuster to consider a claim “low impact,” and effectively allow a GEICO adjuster to argue that the medical bills related to the accident are “high” and far exceed what is reasonable for a low impact crash. Another reason using GEICO’s suggested collision shops is a bad idea, is that oftentimes in order to create a lower estimate the shop is using repair methods with unofficial parts or materials of lesser grades, quality and durability. GEICO also requires that a shop meets its qualifications in order to become a part of its network.

GEICO insurance company claims representatives are assigned target goals, such as sending a certain percentage of vehicles to their direct repair shops after an accident, each year. Don’t let a GEICO adjuster push you into using one of their “recommendations.” If the discussions become more hostile, stop and let an experienced car accident lawyer handle the situation. If you have chosen a repair shop you like, you don’t have to be swayed by anything the adjuster tells you regarding your decision.

Again, the choice is yours. Don't let adjusters for GEICO, Progressive, or USAA, strong arm your property damage claim. We can help.

Complete a Free Case Evaluation form and one of our lawyers will call you now.

Do Not Settle A Geico Claim Without An Attorney's Review

After a car accident a GEICO insurance adjuster will many times total a car when the cost of repairs is near 70-75 percent of the car’s replacement cost value. Unfortunately, a motor vehicle accident attorney cannot prevent GEICO from making this determination, but, after a total loss is determined you are supposed to receive a check for your car’s “actual market value.”

On GEICO’s website it states that their company determines actual cost value by reviewing your vehicle's mileage, features, add-ons, and modifications, pre-existing damage and recent sales of similar vehicles in the area. However, the truth is that insurance company sends the photos and vehicle identification number to a third party company that conducts the total loss analysis. Although some of the factors mentioned on their website might be factors that are used, this doesn’t mean it was done correctly. The final value should be obtained through a negotiation.

When you receive your estimate, compare it to Kelley Blue Book and NADA values. Next, search for comparable cars in a small radius near your home and begin collecting examples with similar years, mileage, and add-ons.

Once a car accident claimant submits this information to GEICO, the insurance company will then submit the proposal to the third party company for an additional review. More often than not, an additional amount is offered for the total loss.

Getting the most from your GEICO car accident settlement sometimes requires a back and forth negotiation, which is a very necessary process. GEICO injury settlements greatly increase on the second and third offer, but you must know what damage models qualify you for additional sums.

The Settlement Should Cover Your Medical Bills

GEICO has now joined a few other insurance companies in refusing to pay the full amount of the medical bills an un-represented car accident victims submits to them. Instead GEICO car accident adjusters ignores the billed amount and instead attempt to pay a portion of the bills like a health insurance company would - the problem is that the rest falls back on you. GEICO will try to tell you the bill is too high and that the rate they’re paying is the “usual and customary” amount, but this isn’t true.

That’s not how things should be! GEICO's adjusters shouldn’t decide how much your treatment cost. If your doctor recommended a specific procedure, you should be able to get that treatment and have GEICO pay in full. Don't let a large insurance company intimidate accident you into opting out of necessary treatment. Don't settle the GEICO car accident claim until all of your damages are accounted for.

Our experienced GEICO car accident settlement lawyers can come up with evidence that your expenses fell within usual and customary medical practices and that you deserve full compensation. Everyone has a right to the treatment they need. Niles J. Sneed and his team of attorneys at Sneed|Mitchell LLP care about the health of you and your family. We will always fight for the settlement that includes full compensation for any current and future medical bills resulting from your accident.

A Car Accident Claim Has Unrealized Value

After a car accident, you may not consider that you need help estimating the value of the claim with GEICO. But understanding the value isn’t easy. Many lawyers online claim to have a “pain and suffering calculators” to help you understand the actual value, but that’s just marketing talk and used to bait client’s into signing with their firm. Things like calculators and multipliers are not how any experienced car accident attorney will fight against GEICO for your maximum compensation. Instead, the attorney will conduct an in-depth analysis of how the claim has impacted your life and then submitting the medical bills and related damages together in a demand package to GEICO.

You deserve compensation for the following damages:

Future medical expenses – Injuries don’t heal when a Geico car accident settlement claim finalized. Medical bills may continue to pile up after the settlement. You may still suffer from chronic pain. Car accident victims may undergo treatment for months to years following a collision. Sometimes, it’s better to wait until you have completed all medical treatment to settle your claim. It is important to remember that legal claims are typically subject to a statute of limitations, and you don’t want to lose recourse to a lawsuit should GEICO refuse to settle out of court. In such cases, our personal injury lawyers can work with medical experts to estimate your future medical expenses, even if the treatment hasn’t yet occurred. In these cases, we can estimate your future medical expenses and seek payment for them, even if you haven’t yet received the treatment or the bills.

Lost earnings – If your injuries keep you from working, you can’t pay for your basic expenses following your accident. Even a few hours of missed work can prove financially cumbersome or even devastating. You have a right to compensation for lost income from GEICO, past and future, resulting from your accident. Our Texas car accident attorneys can estimate your lost income and adjust your GEICO claim accordingly.

Miscellaneous expenses – Sometimes, it isn’t obvious just about how much an injury can cost. If you can’t drive following an accident, for example, you need to pay for alternative transportation. You may need additional child care, or you might lose out on non-refundable arrangements spoiled by your injuries. Renting medical equipment, hiring extra help, food delivery fees: these are all injury-related costs that you might be able to recover. Our dedicated Texas personal injury lawyer know how to consider all this and more and ensure GEICO insurance pays you for this.

Non-economic losses – Not every loss can be measured monetarily. Suffering from extreme pain doesn’t have a number value. Translating non-economic loss for pain and suffering into a monetary amount takes a specific approach, and this is one type of loss that GEICO most regularly challenges.

A GEICO car accident settlement should always include all of compensation and non-compensatory damages. Without an attorney, covering the complete medical expenses and any lost wages is nearly impossible. To have future medical expenses included in a car accident settlement our attorneys must obtain a surgical determination from a qualified professional to fight for that benefit. Similarly, to have lost wags included in the settlement an attorney will send a form to your employer to have them verify the days you've missed related to the accident. The attorney then fights to have the calculated wages included in your GEICO car accident settlement.

Crash Victims Represented By Attorneys Receive More Compensation

Clients that first try to represent themselves in handling the GEICO insurance settlement always tell us of GEICO’s final offer - $250 to $1,500 for the victim’s “pain and suffering,” this is abysmal and amounts to a slap in the face. After a reckless driver causes you to suffer through weeks, months, and years of pain caused by herniated disks, shoulder or rotator cuff injuries, or the like, $1,500 appears more like a nuisance fee. Our firm also has never had a client share that the GEICO offer included compensation for their lost wages.

Here at Sneed|Mitchell LLP personal injury attorneys obtain more than $1,500 for our clients 100% of the time. In fact, our average GEICO injury settlement in 2019 was $24,000. You don’t have to settle for less. Furthermore, you are entitled to be compensation for the missed work opportunities, even if you were compensated for the time off.

Why do so many clients accept the low-ball insurance settlement offer from GEICO? Well, it’s simple, GEICO insurance companies nicely and quickly intimidate injury victims – it’s what they do for a living. They often tell unrepresented client’s things like:

Your car accident has been categorized as “low impact”
From our analysis it appears you shared some of the fault
You stated you had some pre-existing injuries before the car accident
It is tough to obtain damages for pain and suffering
You haven’t had enough treatment to qualify for more money
This is the maximum settlement offer and good for your injuries

Additionally, GEICO auto insurance adjusters use every tool to slow acceptance of liability, which oftentimes causes the injured party to delay obtaining medical care. Once a delay in care has occurred, GEICO’s adjusters point to this as a reason to offer less compensation.

With our Texas car accident attorneys on your side, you don’t need to back down. We’ll help you fight for what you deserve after fully providing how the other driver we negligent in causing your injuries. Our legal team knows how to account for ALL of your losses, not just your existing medical bills.

GEICO won’t tell you when you’re asking for too little. They won’t tell you that you deserve more. GEICO and every other large insurance company knows you can’t adjust your claim once you’ve accepted a settlement, and that you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket for the rest of your losses. They’re happy to let you settle for less than you’ll actually need.

Our Texas car accident attorneys have years of experience standing up against GEICO. We can help you get what you deserve. Call us ASAP at 866-434-0014.

Experienced Geico Injury Claim Settlement Lawyers

If you need help with a GEICO car accident settlement in Texas, we can help. Attorney Niles Sneed has handled hundreds of claims against GEICO and knows the tactics GEICO insurance adjusters play to prevent you from obtaining full compensation. Contact us today by calling (866) 434-0014, you can even ask to speak with Niles Sneed directly. As always, all consultations are free and you owe us nothing until we win.

At Sneed|Mitchell LLP, we also offer virtual or mobile call conferences, everyday, 24/7, for anyone who does not want to physically come into one of our offices. We know exactly how stressful trying to obtain a GEICO car accident settlement can be, and how important zealous and experienced legal advocacy in the success of our client’s claims against GEICO. Our record of outstanding representation has earned us a 5-star rating on Google, AVVO, AV, and Facebook. But, watch our client testimonials to hear from clients like you that have obtained award-winning results.

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