When you’re injured in a car accident, everything changes in an instant - your health, your finances, and your peace of mind. Whether the crash happened in Appleton, Green Bay, or anywhere else in Northern WI, we want to help. At Natasha Misra Law, we understand what you’re going through and are committed to helping you get back on your feet—physically, emotionally, and financially.
Let’s take a look at something that can become a major roadblock to your recovery, the insurance companies, and how a car accident attorney can help you.
When you’ve been in a car accident, insurance companies may seem helpful at first, but their primary goal is to minimize what they pay out. Here are some common tactics they use to deny or reduce your claim:
Offering a Quick, Lowball Settlement: Insurance companies often push for a quick settlement, offering a sum far lower than what you may actually need. They hope you’ll accept before realizing the full extent of your injuries and financial losses. It may seem tempting, especially if you have medical bills piling up, but accepting this early offer can leave you short on funds later when more expenses arise.
Disputing Liability: Even if it’s clear that the other driver was at fault, insurance companies might still try to argue that you were partially or fully responsible for the accident. In Wisconsin, your compensation can be reduced if you're found partially at fault due to the comparative negligence rule. Their goal is to reduce their liability and, ultimately, your payout.
Downplaying Your Injuries: Insurance adjusters often question the severity of your injuries, suggesting that they aren’t as serious as you claim or that they were pre-existing. They may request access to your medical records, hoping to find something that weakens your claim.
Delaying the Process: By dragging out the claims process, insurers hope you’ll become frustrated and settle for less just to resolve the situation. The longer they wait, the more desperate accident victims can become, leading them to accept a lower offer than they deserve.
Pressuring You to Make Recorded Statements: Insurance companies may ask for a recorded statement soon after the accident, hoping you’ll say something they can use against you later. These statements can be taken out of context and used to downplay the severity of the accident or your injuries.
Understanding these tactics is key to protecting your rights and making sure you receive the compensation you deserve. At Natasha Misra Law, we know how to deal with these insurance company strategies, and we’re here to fight for your best interests every step of the way. Don’t let them push you into a settlement that doesn’t reflect your true losses, let us handle the negotiations for you.
Natasha Misra didn’t just become a personal injury attorney by chance. Helping people has always been her passion. She saw the devastating effects car, motorcycle, and truck accidents could have on individuals and their families. People are often left facing mounting medical bills, long-term disabilities, and the loss of essential things like their ability to work or their only vehicle. Natasha founded her firm to make a difference in these people’s lives by offering personalized attention and aggressive representation, and she can help you too.
We want to get you back on your feet and on the road as soon as possible. Our Milwaukee law firm represents all personal injury claims on a contingency fee basis, meaning you do not pay unless we win. Contact Natasha Misra Law today for a free consultation. Let us help you secure the compensation you deserve. Your recovery starts here.
Like many other states, Wisconsin uses a “comparative negligence” law to determine fault during car accidents. But what does this mean?
In this blog, we will discuss what you need to know about comparative negligence, and how it may affect your car accident claim.
First, let’s define comparative negligence. Basically, this is a system of assigning fault in car accidents that determines how much a victim can recover in compensation based on their contribution to the accident.
In other words, both parties involved in an accident can be assigned a portion of the blame. For example, one party may be found to be 30% at fault in the accident, with the other driver being assigned 70% of the fault.
This means two things. First, you can still recover damages if you’re partially at fault for an accident. Even if you contributed to the accident, you may be able to file a personal injury suit and get compensation, as long as you were less than 50% negligent (more about that in the next section).
This is in contrast to states that use a “pure contributory negligence” law, where drivers are unable to recover any damages, even if they were only 1% responsible for the accident.
Second, your damages are limited by the amount of fault assigned to you for the accident. So if you are assigned 30% of the fault and the other driver is assigned 70% of the fault, you can only recover 70% of your damages.
In this situation, if your total damages for medical bills, property damage, renting a car, and other such costs were $20,000, you could only sue the other driver for $14,000 – not the full $20,000 in costs you incurred.
So, comparative negligence means that you can recover some damages after a car accident even if you share fault with the other driver. But what if you’re responsible for the majority of the fault?
Well, Wisconsin follows what’s called the “51 Percent Bar Rule.” This means that you’re “barred” from recovering damages if you are found to be responsible for the majority (51% or more) of fault.
In other words, if you are found to be 50% at fault, you can still recover damages after a car accident in Milwaukee. But if you exceed 50% fault, you will not be able to work with a Milwaukee personal injury attorney to file a lawsuit and recover damages.
Working with an experienced Milwaukee personal injury attorney can help you get a fair and just outcome when you’ve been in a car accident.
Natasha Misra Law can help you protect your rights and recover the compensation you deserve for your injuries, medical bills, lost wages, and more. Contact us online or give us a call to schedule a free consultation.
My law practice is dedicated to helping people who have suffered injuries in accidents which were not their fault. Born and raised in Milwaukee, I come from a family of medical professionals. My background and experience help me understand and represent individuals injured in accidents.
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