What happens if I settle with an insurance company without a lawyer? What if I settle my car crash claim too early? A recent decision from the Illinois Appellate Court, Second Division, serves as yet another example of the perils of working with an insurance company before hiring an attorney and settling a claim too early.
An Illinois Appellate Court decision serves as a fresh example in 2025 of why people should hire attorneys before working with an insurance company.
Jasemin Al-Any and Samantha Harshaw both paid premiums to State Farm to be protected with insurance coverage if they were involved in a car crash. One day, Samantha rearended Jasemin. Jasemin did not speak with an attorney right away but instead called State Farm.
Jasmin received paperwork from State Farm within 24 hours of her accident. Jasmin had not been to a doctor yet. She was told to sign the documents to avoid delays in processing her personal injury claim. State Farm said it would give her $800.00 and pay for her medical treatment.
Sounds like she should sign, right? Turns out, the paperwork Jasmin signed soon after the crash only paid for some, but not all of her treatment. In the paperwork, State Farm limited what it would pay for medical treatment to $15,000.00. In the coming days and weeks, Jasmin began experiencing pain. She sought medical treatment and ended up incurring more medical expenses than what State Farm promised to pay for. After she realized she was being short-changed by State Farm (the company that insured both her and the driver who hit her) she called an attorney.
The attorney argued that the release Jasmin signed was void. The court did not agree and sided with State Farm's position. A court determined that Jasmin signed away her ability to recover the full amount of her medical bills when she signed the documents that State Farm sent her after her crash.
The case—Al-Any v. Harshaw 2025 Ill. App. 2d 230392 (Ill. App. Ct. 2025)—serves as a reminder of an unfortunate reality: insurance companies, even State Farm, are eager to close out claims quickly and for small amounts of money. Big insurance companies are profitable for a reason. They are experts at settling claims for less than the full value of the loss incurred by people.
Insurance Companies Have Leverage
Most people are involved in only one or maybe two car crashes in their lives. A car accident is a new, unfamiliar, and painful experience for most people. By contrast, insurance companies handle injured people on a daily basis. Adjusters sometimes mow through hundreds of claims every year. They also have massive amounts of data that helps pinpoint the precise dollar figure that unrepresented injury victims would settle for, even if their case would be worth more when they hire an attorney.
Reuland Law Gives You Leverage
Reuland Law, LLC, and lawyers across the country shield people from being taken advantage of by for-profit insurance companies. If Jasmin called an attorney before she called State Farm, she may have avoided signing away a full financial recovery for what she lost in the crash.
Reuland Law offers a free and confidential consultation after car crashes. Calling an attorney as soon as possible after a crash can provide free guidance on what to do after a crash and avoid the traps that some insurance companies are happy to see people fall into. You can reach Reuland Law via phone, text, or email by clicking here: Contact Reuland Law.