Injured? Accident or Wreck? Learn More:

• Got questions? Call us at 956-300-0000 or contact us.
  • This page is NOT an official State Farm Page.
• We are a PERSONAL INJURY LAW FIRM helping accident victims to recover what they deserve.
  • This page is NOT legal advice. We strongly recommend you consult an accident lawyer who may be able to help with State Farms Claims after an injury!

You’ve been in a car crash with a driver who has State Farm Insurance; what’s next?

State Farm Insurance does a great job of keeping the claims process simple on its company website. They offer a few simple steps to handling a claim directly with them. Let’s look at State Farm’s five steps to filing a claim and what to consider:

Tell them what happened: The JV Law teams advise against contacting and speaking to a claim adjustor directly. When you talk to an insurance adjustor, their goal is to ensure the claim is processed quickly and at minimal cost to the company. If you unwittingly take the blame for the accident or minimize your damages, they can deny or lowball your personal injury claim.

State Farm will check it out: State Farm acknowledges all claims can have individual circumstances, but their investigation may need to dig deeper to consider your short-term and long-term damages thoroughly. Why should an insurance company work hard to pay you more? It’s a better move to speak to a personal injury attorney who will take the time to review all the damages fairly and thoroughly.

The insurance adjustor manages the estimate. State Farm has a “select service program“, where they have negotiated with auto repair shops. Those specific shops will offer an estimate with State Farm’s support. But what if you already have a trustworthy auto repair expert you rely on? And they are not on the “preferred list?” Will the insurance company cover that estimate, too? They might not cover it fully and then you could be left with paying out the rest.

State Farm offers to make the payments: This is a great customer service tool that makes it easy for the claimant to sit back and allow it to happen. But are those payments covering enough? Will other damages be left out of the equation? The devil is always in the details!

Buckle up; the road is calling! State Farm wants to make the process easy and quick and send claimants on their way. And that’s terrific, but when you settle, will you be confident all the damages are covered for your needs? Or will you look back in the rear-view mirror and regret the speedy settlement?

Why should you speak to an attorney before a State Farm Agent?

Most Texans who have been in a car wreck usually “don’t know what they don’t know.” As personal injury attorneys, we understand the unintended consequences of trusting an insurance claims adjustor after an accident. They approach calls in a friendly and supportive manner. This establishes their ability to control the discussion. When they are the “expert” you rely on to get through the process, the insurance adjustor is in charge. A claims adjustor wants you to refrain from speaking to an attorney. They are not interested in getting into deeper negotiations and paying more to settle the personal injury claim.

Our job as the best personal injury attorneys in the Rio Grande Valley is to fight for a fair settlement for our clients. If the case goes to court, we ensure the verdict also supports our clients (https://jvlawfirm.net/verdicts/).

State Farm Insurance is a very successful company because it manages its business well. However, its business minimizes insurance claims to maximize its bottom line. Our business is to make sure you are taken care of first and that your settlement is enough to cover the damages caused by the accident. 

Let’s talk about financial preparation for the long-term impacts of a car accident.

Sometimes a car accident is only a minimal “fender bender” with the costs going mainly to repairs for the damaged car. And although minor physical trauma can happen, it’s important to not minimize it. For instance, whiplash is a common occurrence. The repercussions can mean months, or years of physical therapy. We want our clients to know acknowledging their pain after an accident is not a sign of weakness. It’s a responsibility to address. Long-term physical problems from a car wreck can become expensive and the responsible party should pay for them.  If State Farm is responsible for covering the costs of things like chronic pain, paralysis, scarring or limited movement after a car crash, they should be held financially accountable.

Other helpful answers to common questions

Q:     Is auto insurance mandatory in Texas?

A:      Yes, it is. The minimum insurance requirements for Texas can be higher than those of other states. Texas drives must have:

Bodily Injury Liability: $30,000 per person/$60,000 per accident

Property Damage Liability: $25,000 per accident

Why is car insurance a bit higher in the state of Texas?

It’s not only an enormous state; geographically, Texas has varied weather and roadway conditions. Climates include mountains, plains, hills, and the coast. Tornados, flooding, and hurricanes occur in various parts of Texas.

Q:     What is full coverage insurance?

A:      There is no defined “full coverage,” but comprehensive insurance plans generally cover liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage.

Q:     What are the common complaints about making an insurance claim?

A:      According to the Texas Department of Insurance (https://www.tdi.texas.gov/tips/ways-we-can-help.html), there are three main complaints:

1.   The time an insurance company responds or settles a claim. It may help to know your insurance company has fifteen business days to acknowledge they received your claim.

2.   The insurance company is offering too little to settle the claim.

3.   The claims adjustor denies the coverage you thought was in your policy.

Q:     How does State Farm rank in terms of the best auto insurance company?

A:      Marketwatch (https://www.marketwatch.com/guides/insurance-services/best-car-insurance/) provides State Farm with an overall rating of 9.4 which puts the business in second place compared to nine insurance companies.

State Farm safe driver incentives and resources

Defensive driving tips (https://www.statefarm.com/simple-insights/auto-and-vehicles/defensive-driving-tips)

Breaking lousy driving habits (https://www.statefarm.com/simple-insights/auto-and-vehicles/time-to-break-these-bad-driving-habits)

State Farm Steer Clear program for drivers under twenty-five years old (https://www.statefarm.com/insurance/auto/discounts/steer-clear)