Every business, no matter how large or small, needs to carry liability insurance. That is a given. However, how much can you reasonably afford to carry and what if you have multiple assets that could be threatened if you are on the wrong side of a liability claim. In addition, what happens if you have insurance on your fleet of vehicles for example, and one of your drivers is involved in an accident? What should you do when trying to protect your business and all assets that may be suddenly lost to you if you can’t defend against the other party who was clearly at fault but is still suing your company as if your driver was at fault?
A Determination of Fault Is Not Always the Deciding Factor
Before going any further, it should be mentioned that whether your driver was at fault or not according to the police report and witness statements, fault is not always a determining factor in a court of law. Some states have either at fault or not at fault and other states allocate percentages of fault to the various drivers involved in an automobile accident. If you are a business owner and, as the example above states, you are being sued or counter-sued by the at fault driver and/or that driver’s insurance company, the first thing you should do before speaking with anyone (even your own insurer!) is to contact a winning auto accident lawyer to represent you and your company.
Why Silence Is Golden
The reason you are advised not to speak with anyone in regards to the accident is because you are not an expert and the questioning party is. Invariably the person interviewing you, either from the other insurance company or the police, is expert in what they are doing and sometimes their questions may trip you up. Although the police have no ulterior motives for confusing you, the other insurance company surely does. By ‘proving’ that you were either totally at fault or at least partially at fault, they have just saved their company thousands, if not millions, of dollars. While you do have to talk to the police at the scene of an auto accident that is the last time you should have communications with anyone unless advised by your lawyer. When there has been an accident, silence is always golden. The golden rule of insurance claims!
Disputing a Claim or Counter-Claim
Only an attorney is really capable of disputing a claim or counter-claim and unless your insurance company believes in you enough to pull in their high powered attorneys on staff, you may be duking it out alone with no one at your side. The moment the accident has been cleared away and all are safely off-scene, call an auto accident specialist lawyer. They will know what to do, what not to do and how to win 0% liability for you and your company.
The fact is, insurance is good but sometimes not enough to protect your business against devastating financial loss. Even if you purchase the highest amount of protection possible, there simply are those times when it just isn’t enough. The solution is a high powered lawyer of your own. When insurance isn’t enough, hire a lawyer.
