Should I Contact the Person Who Caused My Injury?

Posted Thursday, February 28, 2013 by Chris Thayer

After your accident, you will spend time waiting for your insurance company and the other person’s insurance company to work on your case. You will probably not receive a lot of communication about this, so you may wonder what is going on with your case. It may be tempting to reach out and contact the person who caused your injury (also known as a “tortfeasor”) for more information or to ask questions. But your Seattle auto accident attorney will advise you against doing this.

What Happens to the Responsible Party?

After your accident, the other party will be contacted by his or her insurance company, and will give a recorded statement and report about what happened. The insurance company will use this statement, as well as statements from other involved witnesses, to conduct an investigation. During the investigation, there will be little to no contact between the insurer and their insured (the tortfeasor). In other words, neither you nor the tortfeasor will be kept in the loop about the day-to-day progress of your case; it is largely handled by the insurance companies, although your Seattle auto accident attorney might try to send them requests for information. While it may be frustrating to consider, the person who caused your injury is probably going about his or her normal life, hoping that the insurance company decides to settle the case without any more involvement from him or her.

What Happens if the Case Does Not Settle?

However, your case might not settle after all. Sometimes, the tortfeasor’s insurance company insists that you or someone else was mostly at fault, and that their client was not liable for what happened. If this happens, you and your Seattle auto accident attorney will file a lawsuit against the insurance company, who will retain counsel to defend and represent their insured, the tortfeasor. The tortfeasor will be required to take part in the litigation proceedings and sit for depositions, give further testimony, etc. The lawsuit will name the tortfeasor as the defendant, although the defendant’s insurance company will be the one to pay out a settlement or verdict if awarded.

We Can Help

Dealing with the fallout from an auto accident is a frustrating and aggravating process. Talk to an experienced Seattle auto accident attorney to help you get the compensation you deserve. Contact Chris Thayer at (206) 340-2008.