The insurance companies have a term for injury victims who aren’t represented by an attorney: “unrepresented claimant.”  Having worked for insurance companies in the past, I have one piece of advice for accident victims: Don’t be an unrepresented claimant!

Insurance companies LOVE unrepresented claimants. Why? Because unrepresented claimants save insurers lots of money. When someone isn’t represented by competent legal counsel, there’s a good chance the insurance company will get out of the case cheaply.

This is why insurance companies train their claims professionals to contact injured people as soon as possible after an accident. They want to victim to put his or her trust in the claim representative, who is trained to be friendly and assuring to the victim, before an attorney gets involved. While acting like the injury victim’s best friend, the insurance representatives will rarely disclose the fact that their interests are in direct conflict.

The insurance company’s motive, of course, is to pay as little as possible, whereas the injury victim has an interest in being fully compensated. Don’t be fooled by the friendly claim professional who assures you that you don’t need a lawyer. No matter how nice they seem, their job is to save the insurance company money.

“Unrepresented claimants” are easy prey for insurance companies that want to underpay claims. If you’ve been in an accident, don’t be an unrepresented claimant. Take the right steps to protect your interests by contacting a qualified lawyer who knows how to stand up to the insurance companies.