Country Financial is headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois. With agents throughout Central Illinois, we regularly handle car accident claims in and around Bloomington for clients who are insured by Country Financial or who are involved in an accident with a driver insured by Country Financial.
Country was founded in 1925 and begin offering automobile insurance in 1927. Country Financial now has a presence in 19 states and ranked 656th on the 2020 Fortune 1000 list, which ranks American companies by revenue.
We regularly deal with Country Financial insurance adjusters and have successfully resolved many claims with Country Financial for our clients. Unlike most other insurance companies, Country tends to assign certain adjusters to certain regions, which results in our office working with the same adjusters repeatedly on a number of cases over the years. This can be helpful, as we have had occasion to develop constructive working relationships and credibility with adjusters, and this experience can be useful in evaluating claims and advising our clients on what to expect in the claims process.
Unlike many other insurance carriers, I tend to view Country Financial involvement in a claim as a positive factor. While the company does not over-pay on claims, they are more likely to treat an injured person with compassion and decency than many other insurance companies, particularly when the injured person is their own client. For this reason, I have personally carried Country Financial insurance for my own family for years.
That said, even with good insurance companies there is an inherent adversarial aspect of the claims process, where the injured person wants to maximize their recovery and the insurance company wants to settle the case as inexpensively as they can. For this reason, a compassionate local attorney with experience handling Country Financial car accident claims in Bloomington could help you. Your lawyer could handle the negotiations with Country Financial and work toward obtaining an advantageous settlement that would allow you to get your life back on track.
Country Financial Auto Insurance Claims Process
After filing a car accident claim with Country Financial, the insurance company generally assigns a representative to be in charge of it called an adjuster. The adjuster becomes the claimant’s point of contact for all questions and negotiations.
The Country Financial adjuster will investigate the crash to make a liability determination regarding which driver is at fault for the accident, or who bears what percentage of fault in the accident. The adjuster will also ultimately review your medical records, bills, and other evidence provided to evaluate your claim and assign a valuation range to settle your claim.
We highly recommend involving a lawyer as early in the claims process as possible so your lawyer can handle negotiations with the Country Financial adjuster on your behalf and provide the evidence and documentation to positively impact their evaluation of liability and their valuation of your claim.
While we view Country Financial as one of the better companies to work with, we recommend against providing a recorded statement and signing their medical records release. Instead, your lawyer can discuss your theory of the case with the adjuster on your behalf, and gather your medical bills and records, verify their accuracy, and provide those to the insurance adjuster on your behalf.
Why Might Country Financial Pay Less Than the Claim’s Full Value?
There are a number of factors that can influence how an insurance company like Country Financial evaluates a claim and whether or not they pay the full value of the claim. Below are some examples of common reasons Country Financial might pay less than the claim’s full value:
- Exceeded policy limits – Some claims are greater than the policy’s coverage limits. In those cases, there would not be sufficient coverage to pay the full value of the claim. However, it is very important that your attorney verify there are no additional insurance policies or other sources of recovery in cases where the value of the claim exceeds the policy limits.
- Not covered under the policy – Country Financial offers many different kinds of optional coverages, so not all losses are covered for all customers. Your attorney can review the policy on your behalf and advise you as to whether or not there is coverage under the policy.
- Insufficient evidence of liability – Country Financial may not have enough evidence to establish liability to accept responsibility for your claim. Your attorney can hire an investigator, interview witnesses, work to locate any video footage, obtain additional information from the police, hire an accident reconstructionist and other experts, or if necessary, file suit on your behalf to use discovery tools in the litigation process to obtain additional information to help prove liability in your case.
- Insufficient evidence of damages – Country Financial may have incomplete evidence of the harm you suffered in the accident. Your lawyer can help gather your medical bills and records, obtain proof of your wage loss, obtain photographs of any disfigurement, and make sure every element of damages you suffered that should be compensated under Illinois law are included in the adjuster’s evaluation of your claim.
If you believe that Country Financial has mistakenly denied your valid claim or undervalued your claim, you should meet with our attorneys in Bloomington to discuss your legal options.
Work with an Attorney Experienced in Country Financial Car Accident Claims in Bloomington
Our team regularly handles cases for injured people involving Country Financial. These cases include claims against an at-fault driver who was insured by Country or claims under our client’s own Uninsured and Underinsured Policies, in cases where our client was injured by a driver with no insurance or inadequate insurance. We have been successfully resolving claims for our clients with Country Financial for years.
Call our office today to learn more about how we can help you with your Country Financial car accident claim. Consultations are free and confidential and we are here to help.