Lawyers for Nationwide Auto Accident Claims

Long known for their jingle (“Nationwide is on your side!”), Nationwide Insurance has grown in size and ubiquity to be able to actually claim they are all around you. Since their founding in 1925 in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide (formerly know as the Farm Bureau Mutual Automobile Insurance Company) has grown on the backs of over thirty thousand employees and millions of policyholders to generate thirty billion dollars in revenue as of 2012. Its origins were humble-serving automobile owners and homeowners in times of tragedy but it has rapidly adapted to changing times by sponsoring professional golf leagues and creating mobile applications to better serve customers, amongst other things.

If you or a loved one was involved in a Chicago car accident involving Nationwide Insurance, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can help you get the compensation that you are entitled to under Illinois law. Our attorneys have successfully negotiated injury claims on behalf of people injured in auto accident across Illinois. Contact our office for a free review of your legal options when involved in an auto accident with a Nationwide insured.

Since their inception as a focused provider of automobile insurance, Nationwide has grown to accommodate customers across a whole range of needs, including some of the following:

• Vehicle Insurance: Nationwide offers a fleet of products and services for cars, motorcycles, trucks, boats, and RVs including liability coverage, collision coverage, and uninsured motorist coverage. They afford more than the state-required minimums for these categories and provide for vehicle repair, medical payments, and roadside assistance, to name a few.
• Home Insurance: Nationwide providers for comprehensive coverage of your home, condo, or rental unit. Policies allow for the replacement of your belongings, temporary lodgings, home repair, and even theft protection.
• Life Insurance: Nationwide offers a variety of packages for end of life care, financial support of your loved ones, burial expense coverage and beyond.
• Banking Services: Nationwide established an online bank to directly afford customers the ability to obtain financing at lower rates than typical banks.

Like many other large insurance companies, Nationwide Insurance has experienced a significant amount of litigation over the last ten years. Its ever-burgeoning client and employee base exposes it to lawsuits on numerous fronts and this has resulted in a lot of cases. What follows is a review of litigation against Nationwide since 2005.

First, jury awards and settlement amounts will be analyzed at the national and Illinois levels across all categories of cases (specifically insurance, corporate, employment, real property, and products liability). Second, insurance cases will be separated and analyzed out of this same pack. Third, automobile cases within the insurance category will be examined.

Across all categories of litigation, there was a slight difference in success for plaintiffs between Illinois and the nation against Nationwide Insurance. For instance, a higher percentage of plaintiffs across the country received nothing (31%) than did those in Illinois (25%). However, when plaintiffs were able to extract jury awards or settlement amounts from Nationwide, those in various states were more successful than those in Illinois.

Only twenty-four percent (24%) of those in Illinois received more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) compared to thirty-four percent (34%) in the remaining forty-nine states. Consequently, a higher percentage of Illinois plaintiffs (51%) received sums less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00), compared to thirty-three percent (33%) nationally.

Looking only at insurance litigation, we once again see marked differences in plaintiffs’ returns against Nationwide Insurance between Illinois and the nation. For instance, only nineteen percent (19%) of plaintiffs in Illinois received nothing, but that number was thirty-five percent (25%) nationally. On the other hand, thirty-two percent (32%) of plaintiffs across the country received more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) but only twenty percent (20%) received that much in Illinois.

This left a staggeringly high number of plaintiffs in Illinois that received slim sums under one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00), sixty-one percent (61%) to be exact; alternatively, at the national level, this statistic was only thirty-three percent (33%). Thus, while plaintiff returns in Illinois resembled a traditional bell curve, those in the other states resembled more of a modest decline as jury awards and settlement amounts increased.

Finally, separating automobile cases from the larger group of insurance cases, we can similar storylines emerge. Again, more plaintiffs in Illinois came away with some award or amount than those in other states-sixteen percent (16%) more of them did actually. However, the story repeats itself in the unfortunate circumstances of Illinois plaintiffs receiving smaller sums at greater rates: eighty percent (80%) recovered less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00), where that number was only fifty-five (55%) nationally.

Thus, plaintiffs recovered huge sums at a greater rate in states outside Illinois. Specifically, ten percent (10%) had sums in excess of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) in the forty-nine states compared to numbers in the single digits in Illinois. From these numbers, we can make a variety of conclusions, summarized below:

• Illinois was a common site of litigation against Nationwide Insurance, but not as common as against insurers.
• The pattern of return generally differed nationally as compared to that in Illinois, as the former more closely resembled a declining slope while the latter reflected a bell curve.
• Generally, more plaintiffs in Illinois recovered sums but those in other states recovered sums in greater amounts.

After catastrophe, Nationwide Insurance wants you to get by their side in one of five ways: calling 1-800-421-3535, reporting it online, contacting a local Nationwide agent, using your online Nationwide account, or downloading and utilizing the Nationwide mobile application. Most of these methods can be employed at all hours of the day, every day of the year. After initiating this process, Nationwide Insurance will formally investigate and consider the merits and extent of coverage.

However, because Nationwide is a neutral party and not on your side, and because you may not know the intricacies of the insurance process or the underlying substantive law, it is critical to obtain effective and enthusiastic legal counsel. A lawyer can ensure you take every step necessary at every stage to maintain your recovery or possibly even prevent wrongful liability. From the accident to the courtroom, you need a zealous advocate. Contact Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers today to gain practical guidance regarding your accident and experiences with Nationwide Insurance concerning Chicago auto and premises liability cases.