steady-finch-1645/10/2026

Their insurance is ghosting my lawyer after a clear-cut liability crash — is this normal??

I'm losing my mind over here and just need to hear if anyone else has dealt with this.

About six weeks ago I was driving through a green light at a pretty busy intersection when a pickup truck blew through the red on the cross street and slammed into my driver's side door. I spun out, hit a curb, and ended up halfway on the sidewalk. The responding officer literally cited the other driver on the spot — running a red, failure to yield, the whole thing. There were two witnesses who stuck around and gave statements. It is about as open-and-shut as it gets.

I ended up with a fractured wrist, some cracked ribs, and I'm still doing physical therapy two months later. My car was totaled.

I got a PI attorney pretty quickly (best decision I made, honestly). She sent a formal demand letter to the other driver's insurance carrier over three weeks ago. Complete silence. No acknowledgment, no denial, nothing. My attorney says she's following up but I'm sitting here stressing because my medical bills are piling up and I still don't have a working vehicle.

How is liability even in question here? The other driver got a ticket at the scene. Witnesses. A police report that basically spells it out.

Is this just a delay tactic? Do insurance companies do this on purpose hoping people give up? How long did it take before you heard back in a situation like this? I'm not trying to get rich — I just want my bills covered and my life back to normal. 😤

8 replies

Most helpful first

kind-marten-5495/10/2026
Yes, this is absolutely a delay tactic and they do it on purpose. The longer they drag it out, the more desperate claimants get and the more likely they are to accept a lowball offer just to get something. The fact that you have an attorney helps a lot — they know represented claimants don't just go away. Keep the faith and don't let them pressure you into settling before your treatment is done.
- clever-newt-4595/10/2026
  I worked in claims for years and I'll be honest — sitting on demand letters is pretty common, especially when the liability is clear and the carrier knows the case has value. They're not ignoring it because they think they'll win. They're buying time to figure out how low they can go. Three weeks is nothing to them. Your attorney filing suit, or even threatening to, usually speeds things up considerably. The moment litigation becomes real, files get moved to the top of the pile.
- daring-crow-7475/10/2026
  I went through something really similar — rear-ended at a stop sign, other driver 100% at fault, and their insurance just... sat there. It took almost two months before my attorney got a real response. Frustrating doesn't even cover it. Hang in there. Having an attorney who's actively following up is honestly the most important thing.
- clear-crow-5715/10/2026
  Most states have unfair claims settlement practice laws that require insurers to acknowledge claims and respond within a certain timeframe — often 10 to 30 days depending on where you are. Your attorney may be able to flag a bad faith argument if they keep stonewalling. Not saying that's where this is headed, but it's a real tool. Worth asking her about it if the silence continues.
candid-owl-1255/10/2026
Please don't let the stress of the insurance situation push you to rush your recovery or skip PT appointments. I've seen so many patients cut treatment short because they're anxious to 'wrap things up' legally, and then they're left with long-term issues that never fully heal. Document everything — every appointment, every symptom, every bad day. That record matters both for your health and for your case.
clear-finch-7505/10/2026
Not legal advice, but from what you're describing — cited driver, witness statements, a clear police report — liability denial would be a tough position for them to sustain. Silence usually means they're evaluating exposure, not building a defense. If your attorney has exhausted the standard follow-up channels, the next lever is typically filing suit. That changes the timeline and the seriousness level fast. Trust your attorney's read on when to pull that trigger.
plain-stoat-4905/10/2026
Three weeks with no response after a demand letter? Tell your attorney to send a follow-up with a hard deadline and make clear that suit will be filed if they don't respond by that date. Vague pressure doesn't move insurance companies — specific deadlines do. You already have the lawyer, so use her.
mellow-crane-2665/10/2026
This sounds so exhausting on top of already recovering from an injury. I'm really sorry you're dealing with this. You did everything right — got a lawyer, filed promptly — and they're still making your life harder. Wishing you a fast resolution and a full recovery. 💙