How Long does It Take to Settle Claims with Allstate?

In many cases of personal injury, the victims are able to assert and pursue claims against an insurance company. Allstate is one of the most recognized and popular insurance companies in the country which claims to have over 16 million customers. If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident, there is a good chance that the other driver has Allstate.

How Long Will the Settlement Take?

How long a settlement takes depends on the merits of your case. If your case is obvious and involves only property damage (not bodily injury), you can sometimes expect a settlement offer within a few weeks. However, if your case is legally complicated or involves personal injury, the settlement process can take years.

Why does It Take So Long to Settle?

There are several reasons why it might take a long time to settle claims with Allstate. The amount of time that it takes to settle claims depends on how quickly each stage of the process progresses.

Allstate’s Investigation

Immediately after the accident, Allstate will assign an insurance adjuster to the case. This adjuster will then begin an investigation into the case. Depending on the facts of your case, this process can take hours, days, or weeks. 

The insurance adjuster will investigate the case by interviewing witnesses, inspecting the accident scene, or speaking with the police officer who was first on the scene of the accident. At the end of the investigation, the insurance adjuster will decide who was at fault and how much of the fault that person is responsible for.

Disputes

By far the longest part of the claims process, however, happens if Allstate decides that its insured was not at fault. Keep in mind that Allstate’s number one goal is to make money. This means that it will not pay unless it believes it absolutely has to. For this reason, Allstate might decide that its insured was not at fault.

This is the point where your lawyer would make a demand to Allstate or even file a lawsuit against the other driver, which Allstate would be on the hook for. This process can take a long time, and there will likely have to be significant negotiations or even a discovery process to determine evidence.

Medical or Injury Damages

If you have been injured in the accident, this can also increase the amount of time that it takes to settle a claim with Allstate. This is because Allstate will have to coordinate with your health insurance company to determine who must pay for the medical damages. 

Personal injury cases are also more difficult to investigate because of the nature of medical injuries. All of these factors can increase the amount of time it takes to settle claims with Allstate, but your lawyers will do everything that they can to ensure the process is as fast as possible and as fair to you as possible.

What Types of Compensation Can I Receive?

When you pursue a personal injury claim against Allstate, there are several types of compensation that you can receive from Allstate. If your accident only resulted in property damage, such as damage to your car, your compensation will only be the costs of repair, with the maximum amount of compensation being the value of your car.

However, if you are injured in the accident, you can also receive compensation for your medical expenses or wages that you could not earn because the injury kept you from working or both. Your lawyer will help you compile a list of all of your damages that they will use to negotiate with Allstate.

How Can a Lawyer Help Me?

Insurance companies like Allstate hire expensive and highly skilled attorneys to represent them in cases. These attorneys typically work at large law firms with lots of employees that will all work towards the common goal of reducing the amount of money they have to pay you. 

Skilled plaintiff’s attorneys, however, can fight back against Allstate’s lawyers. Your lawyer will know how to negotiate and will aggressively fight to get you the highest settlement possible. When you have lawyers on your side, Allstate’s lawyers will be on notice that they cannot just push you around and will have to “play ball.” 

What If I Also Have Allstate Insurance?

If you are also insured by Allstate, this is usually a good thing. This will mean that Allstate will have no reason to delay or try to avoid paying because they will have to pay regardless. In this situation, you can normally expect to pay out much quicker if Allstate finds the other driver at fault.

However, mistakes still do happen. In these situations, though, you are still able to file a lawsuit against the other driver to force Allstate’s hand. Additionally, if Allstate acts in bad faith, meaning that they fail to pay you without a legitimate reason, you may be able to sue Allstate itself to obtain damages. 

Suing Allstate for insurance bad faith, while certainly taking longer, can get you more money in the long run for two reasons. First, juries typically do not like insurance companies and will typically go out of their way to rule against them. Second, punitive damages are available against insurance companies that act in bad faith, meaning that you can sometimes get extra damages that are meant to punish an insurance company who acts in bad faith.

Who Should You Hire for Your Claim Against Allstate?

If you are a Georgia resident and you need the assistance of an attorney in bringing a claim against Allstate, you should hire a highly experienced attorney. “The Strong Arm” John Foy is just that. John Foy has almost 30 years of experience fighting to get justice for Georgians in similar situations to you.

If you need legal help in your claim against Allstate, you should contact John Foy and Associates. Contact John Foy and Associates today for a free consultation and case review.