How Insurance Companies Avoid Paying Personal Injury Claims
After an accident, victims could face mounting medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses due to their injuries. Those in need of help will turn to insurance companies for help, only to find that help is slow to arrive. Insurance providers are known for tactics that delay or even prevent individuals from getting the financial compensation they deserve. In these situations, a personal injury lawyer will know how to go head to head against an insurer to fight for their clients.
If the day comes when you have to file a personal injury claim through insurance, you’ll get to know the games that insurance companies play to reduce your claim. While insurance companies aim to provide financial recovery for accident victims, they also exist to make profits and watch their bottom lines. This means avoiding high payouts whenever they can. Some of the common tactics used by insurance companies will be addressed below.
Misinterpreting Your Policy
Insurers take advantage of the fact that their policies are complex and confusing for most customers. If an insurer misinterprets or misuses language in your policy, your claim could be reduced or denied altogether. For example, they might claim certain types of damage aren’t covered when they should be, or a driver was not insured under the policy when, in fact, they were.
Requiring Unnecessary Documents
Insurance providers will require claimants to provide seemingly endless documentation to process the claim. These documents might include written statements, medical record releases, bills, recorded statements, and more just to move your claim forward. However, not all requested documents are needed to process your claim.
Some documents, such as medical records not relevant to the accident, can even be used against you. The insurer might find a past illness or injury to blame for your suffering and use that to deny your claim. It helps to speak with an attorney before providing documents to an insurance company.
Making a Low Initial Offer
Insurers will know you are in desperate need of funds following an accident. Bills will pile up, and claimants might be tempted to take the first offer that comes along. However, the initial offer from an insurance company is rarely what you truly deserve. It is better to reject this offer and negotiate a payment that fully addresses your injuries, including future medical treatment.
Experienced personal injury attorneys will know how to negotiate with insurance companies and reject their lowball offers.
Delaying Their Offer
Another trick used by insurance companies is to delay an offer. This can be a cruel technique when an accident victim faces medical debt and other costs from an accident. However, failing to update a customer and delaying their offer will increase the pressure on a victim to accept the first offer they get – which will often be a lowball offer as well.
Disputing Liability
Disputing liability – or fault – is an effective way to avoid paying a fair settlement to an accident victim. For instance, your insurer might argue that you shared most of the blame for the accident or that both drivers were equally at fault in a car accident. In these situations, the insurer will try to avoid paying out under your policy by assigning blame to you.
Claiming You Had Pre-existing Injuries
Another classic way to avoid paying out is for an insurer to claim your injuries already existed and were not caused by the accident in question. They might make the alternative claim that an accident simply exacerbated a pre-existing condition you already had. This way, the insurance company can reduce or deny your claim completely. An experienced lawyer will be able to demonstrate a clear link between the accident and your injuries.
Requiring Written or Recorded Statements
When processing your claim, the insurance company might tell you that they need a written or recorded statement to work on the claim. The problem with doing this without an attorney’s guidance is that the insurance company can use these statements against you. If you are not careful, your written or recorded statement can include words that will be twisted and used against you. Before providing any type of statement, consult an attorney.
An Alabama Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help With Your Insurance Claim
Whether you are in the process of an insurance claim or starting one after being hurt in an accident, you could use some valuable legal advice. A dedicated personal injury attorney can help guide you through the insurance process to get the most out of your claim.
Contact the Alabama Personal Injury Lawyers at Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers To Get Legal Assistance Today
For more information, please contact an experienced personal injury lawyer Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free initial consultation today. We serve Shelby County, Madison County, Montgomery County in Alabama, and its surrounding areas.
We have convenient locations in Birmingham, Huntsville & Montgomery. Visit one of our offices today:
Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers – Birmingham Office
880 Montclair Road, Ste 300,
Birmingham, AL 35213
(205) 206-5088
Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers – Huntsville Office
116 Jefferson St. Suite 209
Hunstville, AL, 35801
(256) 666-4660
Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers – Montgomery Office
7 Clayton St, Suite 200,
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 513-2110