USAA Insurance Accident Claims in Pittsburgh

On This Page

1. How a USAA Insurance Accident Claim Works
2. Pennsylvania’s Car Insurance Laws Can Affect Your Claim
3. How Berger and Green Can Help with Your USAA Claim
4. Filing a Police Report After a Car Accident
5. Contact Us with Any USAA Insurance Claim Questions

REVIEWED BY

C. William Kenny

February 02, 2022

Board certified by National Board of Trial Advocacy

If you have been injured in a car accident, you may have to work with an insurance company. When dealing with USAA insurance accident claims in Pittsburgh, you have a right to hire a personal injury lawyer from Berger and Green. While insurance adjusters value saving money, we prioritize your needs.

How a USAA Insurance Accident Claim Works

The claims process at USAA, as well as other insurance companies, may involve:

• Giving an official statement
• Assignment of an adjuster
• Assessment of your claim
• Investigation and evidence gathering
• Settlement offers and negotiation

Some claims take longer than others, especially if the accident was complicated, involves multiple parties, or includes conflicting accounts. Ostensibly, adjusters want to get to the truth, but they ultimately represent a business, which can create conflict with victims.

In order for you to avoid dealing with such a conflict in addition to dealing with your medical management, a personal injury lawyer can be your advocate, taking over communication and negotiation. In fact, we can investigate independently to confirm the facts and support your claim.

How does USAA Evaluate Claims?

USAA uses a software program called Colossus to analyze your claim, evaluating the main categories of compensation:

• Medical costs
• Lost income
• Pain and suffering

As you can imagine, nuance can be lost in this process, prompting USAA to underestimate your treatment and compensation. In other words, insurance companies tend to reduce victims to numbers that don’t accurately reflect an accident’s aftermath.

If USAA’s analysis doesn’t feel right, you don’t have to accept it. The team at Berger and Green can take a more comprehensive look at the accident’s impact and fight for what you deserve.

Pennsylvania’s Car Insurance Laws Can Affect Your Claim

If your USAA insurance claim is for an automobile accident in Pittsburgh, you will be subject to Pennsylvania’s insurance laws (75 Pa. C.S.A. § 1705). Motorists must carry either:

Full Tort Coverage

With full tort, you preserve your right to sue an at-fault party for non-economic losses such as pain and suffering, emotional distress and loss of life’s pleasures  resulting from a collision in addition to your economic (out of pocket) losses, regardless of whether or not you have sustained a serious injury or disfigurement or the death of a loved one.

Through either negotiation or  a lawsuit, you may obtain damages for pain and suffering, as well as medical costs and lost income with full tort coverage.

Limited Tort Coverage

By contrast, with limited tort, you can recover only your economic (out of pocket) losses such as medical expenses or income loss unless you have sustained a serious injury or disfigurement or the death of a loved one.

Only when you have sustained a serious injury or disfigurement or the death of a loved one, can you recover non-economic losses such as pain and suffering, emotional distress and loss of life’s pleasures.

You should also be aware that there are instances when the limited tort restrictions on damages do not apply, such as when you are hit by a drunken driver. A Berger and Green auto accident lawyer can help you explore whether any exceptions apply.

Thus, you may have to deal with USAA if:

• You have a policy providing full tort coverage either with USAA or any other insurer;
• You have a  limited tort policy with USAA or any other insurer and have either sustained a 1) a serious injury including loss of bodily function, disfigurement or death of a loved one and/or 2) have sustained serious injuries or significant uncovered income loss or medical bills;
• You have USAA coverage and need to claim payment for your medical bills or wage loss under your own policy up to the limit of coverage.
• You are insured by USAA and were hit by a driver who was uninsured or did not have adequate coverage if your policy provides uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.

How Berger and Green Can Help with Your USAA Claim

Some accident victims believe they can’t contact a lawyer until they are already facing problems with an insurance company. In reality, you should consult us immediately after an accident.

Our Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania injury lawyers can help with:

• Your official statement
• Claim paperwork
• Identification and communication with the other party or their insurer
• Accident reconstruction
• Expert consultation
• Witness interviews
• Police report analysis
• Compiling documentation of your injuries
• Settlement review and negotiation

Sometimes consulting a lawyer can nudge an insurance company to negotiate and settle. Other times, we need to put up a fight. Either way, Berger and Green will work for you.

Filing a Police Report After a Car Accident

After a minor accident, the other party may try to convince you not to report the crash. No one enjoys the process of filing a police report; you may feel it’s not worth the hassle.

Not only is it a crime not to report an accident to the police when it involves injury or property damage, but you may also face trouble from your insurance (75 Pa. C.S.A. § 3746). The presence of the police at the scene is also important to properly document the identity and insurer of the at-fault car. If your company discovers you didn’t report an accident, they may see you as a liability, and you may even lose your coverage.

Moreover, you can sustain injuries from “minor” crashes that you don’t feel until later. Even low-speed rear-end collisions can cause whiplash and many soft tissue injuries can take time to manifest. By then, your insurance company may not believe you’re injured, since you didn’t report the accident.

Stick to the Facts in Your Statement

You may be asked to give an on the record account of the accident. The adjuster may try to trip you up or ask confusing or unnecessary questions. You do not need to provide more than the basic facts. Avoid:

• Emotions
• Assumptions
• Guesses
• Apologies
• Admission of fault by you

Don’t worry – we can help you craft a statement and handle all other communication with USAA.

Get Help If You Feel Pressured or Overwhelmed

When you’re hurting, you shouldn’t have to worry about an insurance company’s tricks and tactics. Contact us if you are facing:

• Non-responsiveness
• Pressure to settle quickly
• Underestimation of your losses
• Denial of your claim
• Stalling
• Intimidation or bullying
• Bad faith behavior
• Unfair or low offers

Contact Us with Any USAA Insurance Claim Questions

At Berger and Green, we offer free consultations to anyone seeking information about the USAA insurance claims process after an accident in Pittsburgh. Whether you want more info about handling a claim or are facing significant challenges, our attorneys can help. Call today: (412) 661-1400.