Do I need a Lawyer for my Shelter Insurance Claim?
If you are making an injury claim with Shelter Insurance Company, for an auto accident, you will usually benefit from utilizing the services of an experienced Shelter insurance claims law firm. Despite television and radio advertisement advocating Shelter Insurance Company’s commitment to its policy holder, Shelter Insurance may undervalue a claim.
Shelter also has a number of procedures and requirements an ordinary person will have difficulty completing. Our insurance claims settlement attorneys have experience in processing Shelter Insurance claims. Thus, the first advantage: Less Administrative Work for You.
Can I handle my Shelter Insurance Claim Myself?
You may be able to handle your claim yourself. Call us and we will often times recommend you handle your Shelter Insurance claim without paying a lawyer. Claims where a lawyer is not needed are typically low dollar amount property damage car crashes (such as damages of less than $10,000.00).
Also, low medical injuries (such as a strain/sprained neck or sprained back) are better handled between the individual and the insurance company. These cases are of low value and are comparatively simple to arrange. You will want as much money as possible going into your recovery and there is no need to pay the attorney for it. Serious injury cases are another matter, entirely.
The reason for engaging an attorney for a settlement of a Shelter Insurance claim is that you have less paperwork hassle, thus creating more time to focus on healing. Moreover, you will have medical bills from your accident injury. These medical bills will need to be paid.
The reason you hire Shelter Insurance claims attorney is that, in the end, you will have more money to put toward your medical recovery. Look to our article on the “Eight Worst Mistakes to Make in an Accident Injury Claim.”
Where Do I Send My Shelter Mutual Insurance Claim?
Are you a Shelter Insurance policyholder? If you are not, you need to call Shelter Insurance at 1-800-743-5837. This is the way to make a Shelter phone claim if you are not a policyholder.
If you have been in an accident in Kansas City where the other person (usually a car accident) had Shelter Insurance, you mail your materials to the following location:
4901 N.E. Lakewood Way
Lee’s Summit, MO 64064-1987
Phone#: (816) 795-6800 or 1-800-258-6801
Fax#: (816) 795-3838
What Materials and Documents Do I Need to Gather for my Shelter Insurance Claim?
Let us presume this is a Kansas City auto accident caused by a Shelter Insurance policyholder. First, you will need to seek medical treatment so that we can;
- Know the extent of your injury
- Know the extent of your medical bills
- Identify the precise injuries from your accident
- Know the future medical care you will need
- Estimate the cost of your future medical bills
- Identify the degree of your future disability
- Document your pain and suffering
Seek and complete the medical injury care you need first. Then, get a full copy of your medical records and bills. These are the records and bills from each and every treatment provider from which you have received treatment.
Next, travel to your primary care physician. Get your medical records for the two years before your accident. Shelter Insurance Company will want to know your injury claims are not preexisting.
Do I get paid for my time missed from work?
You should. Get your employment records. If you have an accident injury caused by a Shelter Insurance policyholder, you are likely to miss work. Shelter Insurance will want to know your rate of pay, the amount of work you are doing, and verify the amount of work you have missed.
Include a time period several months before your Shelter Insurance accident in your employment records request so that we have a base line to compare.
What Evidence do I need from the Accident Scene?
If you have suffered an injury due to an auto accident, or similar accident, you will want to take photographs with a camera and also get a copy of any report taken by the police or other authority figure.
Traffic auto accidents are the perfect example. You will want to use a cellular phone to take photographs of the vehicle damage, any accident injuries to yourself, and the scene at the time. You will also want to get the Police Report. These will help establish that the Shelter Insurance policyholder caused your accident and it was not your fault. Our auto accident attorneys page provides additional details.
How do I get the Maximum Value for my Shelter Insurance Claim?
Getting the most compensation you are entitled to is the job of the Shelter Insurance claims lawyer you hire. You wind up paying the lawyer a percentage of your Shelter Insurance claim, called a contingency fee. This is discussed and agreed upon ahead of time.
Insurance adjusters have used the tactic of arguing that you should not have an attorney because they will take a portion (a percentage) of the claim. On claims of less than $7,000.00 this is likely true.
Our experience is the real reason Shelter Insurance agents do not want a lawyer is that the claims are worth substantially more. For example, look to our photograph showing an Allstate Insurance Manual that depicts the value of claims with and without lawyers. Even including the lawyer’s fee, cases are worth more. This means more money for your accident injury recovery in the end.
Gathering the documents as listed above and working closely with your Shelter Insurance claim lawyer is the best way to maximize the value of your accident claim.