Car Accident Lawyer Bay Ridge

What Tricks Will an Insurance Company Use to Avoid Paying a Claim?

You’re familiar with how auto insurance works. You pay a premium each month, and in the event that you get in a car accident, your insurance provider will be there to cover the cost of damages. While the purpose of insurance may seem cut and dry on paper, often things don’t work out so smoothly in real life.

If you’re in a no-fault state like this one, you’ll have to file a claim with your insurance provider, whether you caused the accident or not. And make no mistake: your insurance provider will do everything in their power to make sure they only pay you as little as possible. And to meet this end, they may employ deceptive tricks.

So what are the common tricks that insurance providers rely on when they don’t want to pay a lot, or at all, for their policyholder’s accident-related injuries? Read through the following sections so you know what to be on the lookout for when you go to file a claim.

Call 1-800-HURT-511 when you’re looking to speak with qualified and experienced car accident lawyers in Bay Ridge. We’ll connect you with the best car accident lawyers in the area, and if they decide to take your case, they’ll ensure you don’t get taken advantage of by your insurance provider and that you receive fair compensation for injuries sustained during the car accident.

Is an Auto Insurance Provider Supposed to Help Their Policyholder Following a Car Accident?

An insurance company is supposed to help their policyholder in the wake of a car accident. Even if a policyholder is mostly at fault for the car accident, they should still be able to receive partial compensation from their insurance provider. But an insurance provider, while being helpful in some ways following a car accident, is first and foremost trying to avoid paying more than is required. After all, if they gave out lavish awards to all their policyholders often, they would eventually run out of money and collapse.

That being said, some insurance companies will go beyond trying to keep costs low and actually employ deceptive tactics in hopes their policyholder will give up pursuing a claim or settle for less money. This isn’t to say that insurance companies operate with malice; rather, as a policyholder, you need to be aware of what your options are so you don’t accept something inadequate when you could’ve had a better deal.

Why Do Insurance Providers Attempt to Lowball Their Policyholders?

One of the most common tactics an insurance provider will use to settle a claim early and for cheap is to offer their policyholder a lowball amount as a settlement right away. The hope here is that the accident victim will find the amount of money attractive. An accident victim will be more inclined to take the lowball settlement if they don’t want to go through a drawn-out negotiating process. A lot of accident victims do take this bait, only to realize later that they probably could’ve got thousands more if they hired a car accident lawyer to negotiate on their behalf.

Why Would an Insurance Provider Want a Recorded Statement?

Your insurance provider may also try to get you to record a statement. They’ll do this so they can call your credibility into question if you go back on the recorded statement. This would be particularly harmful if the claim ended up in court, as if a jury believes you can’t be trusted, chances are they won’t rule in your favor. If you have to record a statement, you need to have a car accident lawyer there with you; they’ll make sure you don’t say anything that precludes you from seeking fair compensation later on.

Will an Insurance Provider Delay the Process?

Another tactic is for an insurance provider to delay the claim process in an effort to get the claimant to give up. Especially if the amount of money in question is not completely necessary to the claimant, they may find the convenient option to be abandoning the claim altogether and paying the expenses out of pocket. Again, it’s likely a car insurance provider won’t do this if a car accident lawyer is representing the claimant, as lawyers know this trick and they often have the resources and patience to outlast it.

Will a Insurance Company Rush You Into Getting Medical Attention?

An Insurance company may claim that since you didn’t get medical attention right away, you are no longer able to seek damages. This is one reason why you should get medical attention as soon as possible. Usually, an insurance company will want their policyholder to get medical attention within 14 days. If you don’t get medical attention within this time frame, it’s likely your insurance provider will cast doubt on the severity of your injuries.

Will an Insurance Provider Contest Medical Records and Bills?

It may come to be that your insurance provider contests your medical records and bills. The most common tactic is for them to say the injuries in question are exacerbating a preexisting condition; in other words, they’re not new, solely accident-related injuries.

Will an Insurance Provider Try to Downplay the Extent of an Accident Victim’s Injuries?

Your insurance provider may also downplay the extent of your injuries. For example, if you don’t have a lot of vehicular damage, they may say it’s unlikely that you sustained significant injuries. But the truth is that even a minor fender bender can result in a significant injury, such as a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Why Do Insurance Providers Want Their Policyholders to Avoid Bringing on Legal Assistance?

It’s likely your insurance provider will discourage you from bringing on a car accident lawyer. They’ll probably say that you can get things settled without the lawyer and save money by doing things this way. But the truth is that your insurance provider doesn’t want a car accident lawyer involved because they know a car accident lawyer will get their client more money. Of course YOU need to decide whether or not bringing on a car accident lawyer is the right move. You can make an informed decision after consulting a few lawyers and hearing what they have to say about your situation

We understand that hiring a car accident lawyer can be tough, and that’s why we created a one-stop solution for individuals who need professional legal assistance. Just call 1-800-HURT-511. We’ll connect you with top-rated car accident lawyers who are multilingual and experienced in the kind of case you’re looking to bring. They’ve recovered over $1 billion for their clients.

Call 1-800-HURT-511 now, as your window for filing may be closing quicker than you think.