For nearly two decades, our law firm has been dedicated to handling personal injury car accidents, premises liability claims, and lawsuits against The Hartford.
Our Maryland-based car accident lawyers specialize in handling serious injury and wrongful death cases nationwide, in collaboration with co-counsel, specifically targeting claims against The Hartford.
Our seasoned accident lawyers possess extensive knowledge of The Hartford’s practices, enabling us to optimize settlement amounts and jury awards against their insured parties.
This article sheds light on The Hartford’s modus operandi and equips you with strategies to position yourself favorably for the highest possible compensation, whether through settlement negotiations or jury verdicts.
Understanding Hartford Insurance Personal Injury Claims
The Hartford provides a wide range of insurance services, including auto, homeowners, life, and disability coverage, alongside a robust commercial insurance arm offering commercial auto policies, property insurance, and workers’ compensation coverage.
Established in Connecticut in 1810, The Hartford boasts a rich history in the insurance industry.
However, in Maryland, our car accident lawyers primarily encounter their business-focused insurance policies, commanding a modest market share of approximately 0.33%. Nationally,
The Hartford holds only 0.92% of the auto insurance market share, paling in comparison to competitors like Allstate, GEICO, and State Farm.
The Hartford issues private automobile insurance policies in 41 states, encompassing Maryland and neighboring regions such as the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
How to Initiate a Claim with Hartford Insurance
To file a car accident claim with The Hartford, dial 800-243-5860 or submit a claim report online.
However, if you’re dealing with a serious injury or wrongful death case, refrain from filing a claim directly and seek counsel from a personal injury lawyer first.
Contact our attorneys anytime at 800-553-8082 for a complimentary consultation and guidance.
How Does The Hartford Calculate the Settlement Value of Motor Vehicle Accident Claim?
The Hartford uses a computer program called Colossus to determine the settlement value of your personal injury claim.
Information from your medical records is plugged into the computer along with other variables.
The program spits out a range of settlement amounts. Make no mistake.
This computer program is calibrated to give below-market offers in personal injury cases.
Our lawyers suspect that Hartford calibrates Colossus more fairly than many other insurance companies. But the result is still typically unfair to victims.
Is The Hartford Eager to Litigate and Take to Trial Personal Injury Cases?
Not many lawsuits against The Hartford that are filed in Maryland go to trial.
This insurer wants to settle cases before they get to a jury. It will often make you fight hard throughout the litigation process but will typically increase their offer substantially before trial to avoid taking a jury verdict.
Who Defends The Hartford’s in Maryland and Washington, D.C. in Personal Injury Lawsuits?
The Hartford has in-house lawyers who work for the insurance company.
In Maryland, as we mentioned above, the office is the Law Offices of Pamela Randi Johnson.
In more serious cases where there is a risk of a verdict over the insured’s policy limits, Hartford will hire outside lawyers to handle the claim.
Settlement of the Hartford Insurance Accident Claims
Because The Hartford has such a small market share, it’s difficult to know whether our experiences are representative.
However, speaking with other lawyers, we have a good idea of Hartford’s standard operating procedures.
Our experience is that even in Hartford accident cases with clear liability (that is, where The Hartford’s insured did something egregiously wrong), and clear-cut treatment (even where the lawyer did not refer the plaintiff to medical doctors, but the client’s medical treatment was all doctor-referred).
The Hartford will usually offer less than the total medical expenses.
That means that they typically believe those medical bills are too high, or else they place no value on non-economic damages like pain, suffering, inconvenience, physical impairment, pre-impact fright, and other damages allowed by Maryland law.
Nine times out of ten, our law firm must file a lawsuit where The Hartford is the defendant driver’s insurance company.
However, the picture often brightens when the lawsuit is served. Until recently, The Hartford used The Law Firm of Guido Porcarelli, as their in-house counsel.
The lawyers at this firm would usually bring common sense to The Hartford’s insurance adjusters, and cases would often settle before trial.
Mr. Porcarelli is now a judge after working for the Law Offices of Frank F. Daily – another well-respected insurance defense firm. The Law Offices of Pamela Randi Johnson – is The Hartford’s new office, which is made up of largely the same group of lawyers.
Therefore, our attorneys expect The Hartford to continue to be generally reasonable after a car accident lawsuit is filed.
The Harford Settlement Amounts & Jury Compensation Award Examples
2023, New York:
$65,000 Settlement. A minor plaintiff was bitten by a dog owned by the defendant. Hartford, the homeowner’s insurance company, settled the claim. The plaintiff alleged permanent scarring to the face, hands, and leg
2022, New York:
$90,000 Settlement. A minor plaintiff, a passenger in a vehicle insured by Hartford, sustained injuries including a fractured jaw, broken teeth, and multiple lacerations. The parties reached a $90,000 structured settlement.
2020, Washington:
$23,212 Arbitration Award. A passenger in a Hartford-insured vehicle suffered injuries to the neck, back, and knee after a collision caused by the driver running a stop sign. Following arbitration, the couple received $23,212, covering medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and costs.
2019, Washington:
$25,256 Arbitration Award. A male passenger sustained neck and back strains in a rear-end collision.
The arbitration award of $25,256 covered medical expenses, pain and suffering, and costs.
2019, Maryland:
$104,078 Verdict. A woman struck by an underinsured motorist in a parking lot sued her UIM insurer, The Hartford. The Baltimore City jury awarded her $104,078 for her injuries, including a non-displaced fracture in her left foot.
2019, Oregon:
$192,500 Settlement. A cyclist struck by a bus sued for vicarious liability. The settlement of $192,500 included contributions from TriMet and the City of Portland for his injuries, including a hip injury and right femoral neck fracture.
2019, Missouri:
$125,000 Settlement. A driver struck multiple vehicles, causing injuries to a 75-year-old woman. The settlement of $125,000 included Progressive Insurance coverage and a UIM payout from The Hartford.
2019, Washington:
$300,000 Settlement. An 8-year-old girl sustained injuries including a broken arm, jaw, and pelvis in a collision.
Following a one-week trial, the case was settled for $300,000 involving insurers The Hartford and Pacific Star.
Getting in Touch with The Hartford Insurance
When reaching out to The Hartford Insurance, it’s essential to note that direct dealings don’t typically occur with a Maryland-based office.
Our legal team has interacted with various regional branches of The Hartford, with a predominant presence of cases stemming from the Tampa office within the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.
Here’s a list of adjusters we’ve encountered over time:
- Gail Mandell
- Alison Clarke
- Tom Bradshaw
- Evette Hallford
- Michael Harris
- Jane Sartoe
- Norman Nichols
- Melinda Cole
- Gayle Lehane
- Sabrina Smith
- Lara Loomis
- Daphene Turner
- Melissa Posey
- Laurena Clark
- Jessica Denham
- Kent Jones
- Cindy Blasko
- Kerri Mersereau
- Mary Beth Ansley
- John O’Neill
- Adam Blattner
- Jason Wagler
- Kelley Foxx
- Linda Shook
These adjusters handle Maryland cases for The Hartford, with varying degrees of frequency.
The Hartford stands out for its quality of adjusters compared to many other insurance companies, primarily due to the nature of commercial cases, which often involve substantial claims.
Consequently, The Hartford doesn’t employ inexperienced individuals masquerading as claims adjusters, a practice observed in other insurance companies.
Also read: Reliance Standard Accident Insurance: A Complete Guide
Here are the addresses of offices we’ve engaged with in recent times:
- P.O. Box 30773 Tampa, FL 33630 Phone: 800-637-5410 Fax: 877-536-6595
- P.O. Box 15146 Worcester, MA 01615 Phone: 804-673-5516 Fax: 506-926-5660
- P.O. Box 14262 Lexington, KY 40512-4262 Phone: 877-625-2652 Fax: 1-866-809-1955
- 21 Christopher Way Eatontown, NJ 07724 Phone: 800-280-0555 Fax: 732-578-9396
- 7090 Port Lane Mechanicsville, VA 23111 Phone: 800-637-5410 (same number as Tampa) Fax: 877-905-8621
For contacting Hartford’s in-house counsel in Maryland:
Law Offices of Pamela Randi Johnson 200 International Circle Hunt Valley, MD 21030 Phone: 410-568-2898 Fax: 410-568-2898
Need Assistance with Your Claim Against The Hartford?
If you’ve been involved in an accident with a driver insured by The Hartford, or if you have an uninsured motorist claim against this insurer, reach out to us at 800-553-8082 or online for a complimentary consultation.
Our team can handle all communications with the insurance company, providing them with the necessary documentation to settle your claim.
Should they fail to do so promptly, we’re prepared to file a lawsuit on your behalf.