farmers insurance: Accident Claims and Settlements

        Founded in 1928, Farmers Insurance is now the nation’s third largest insurance company.  It sells, among other insurance products, car and truck insurance. Farmers is owned by Zurich Insurance. Always a big player in the car insurance market, Farmers purchased AIG auto insurance division (renamed 21st Century Insurance to remove the taint of the AIG name) last year.  Farmers also purchased in 2007 Bristol West Insurance Group, a car insurance company that began in Florida but is now selling car insurance throughout the country. Accordingly, our law firm is seeing even more of Farmers.  Our accident lawyers handle claims against Farmers in Maryland and, in serious injury and death cases, throughout the county. 

Settlement with Farmers Insurance in Car Accident Claims

In our experience, Farmers Insurance is a difficult insurance company to deal with for settlement of car accident claims.   One big reason: Farmers relies on a computer based program – Colossus – to evaluate personal injury claims.  Paradoxically, I think this can be of benefit to accident victims in minor cases because sometimes Colossus actually suggests more in money damages in some smaller case than would be expected.  But in a serious case you are rarely, if ever, going to get fair value for your accident claim before filing a lawsuit.  Moreover, computer programs used to create a settlement formula are just silly because they take out of the equation both the subjective qualities of the claimant (judges and juries give more to good, honest victims), and the fact that not everyone responds the same in car accidents and their injuries differ as well.  Computer programs are one size fits all.  The real world in personal injury cases is very different.

Dealing with Farmers: A Dose of Reality

Much ado was made a few years back about how Farmers had an incentive program called "Quest for Gold" that offered pizza parties to its adjusters that met low claims payments goals. People were upset by this. Our lawyers were not. We just assume this happens everywhere. Insurance companies make more by taking in premiums and not paying claims. To be melodramatic: it is war. We have gotten reasonable settlements from Farmers. But the only way we get this is by, furthering the war analogy, the threat and use of force. It is the reality of dealing with insurance companies. Farmers may be a bit more extreme than some other insurance companies but they are all largely the same.

Our Lawyers Can Help You with Your Accident Claim Against Farmers

Our firm has successfully handled many auto accident claims involving Farmers Insurance.  If you have been injured in an automobile accident in Maryland in any case where the at-fault driver is insured by Farmers Insurance, or if you are filing an uninsured motorist claim against Farmers Insurance and you have a question about your claim or wish to file a lawsuit, call us at 800-553-8082 or click here for a free consultation.