Insurance companies have a vested interest in denying your claim or minimizing your personal injury settlement. By decreasing the amount of your recovery, they protect their profit margins. At Aronberg, Kouser, Snyder & Lindemann, P.A., we are familiar with the various tactics that insurance companies use to devalue or deny valid claims, including:
Calling Soon After an Accident
Insurance adjusters may try to contact you soon after an accident to catch victims off guard and lock them into information that is against their interests. For example, they may ask how you are feeling, you say, “fine,” and they use this statement to contend that you were not injured in the accident.
The insurance adjuster may try to act like your friend to get you to trust them, but always keep in mind that insurance adjusters work for insurance companies. The insurance company’s interests are directly opposed to yours.
Asking for a Recorded Statement
Another standard tactic insurance adjusters use is to ask for a recorded statement. However, these statements are only used against personal injury claimants. They try to record you saying something to use against you later. For example, they may ask about your injuries on the recording when you don’t know their full extent. When you later find out your injuries were more serious than you first believed, they may try to claim you’re exaggerating them. Insurance adjusters may also try to lock you into certain information to show it is inconsistent with details the insurance company discovers later in the investigative process. This information is then used to deny your claim.
Requesting a Medical Release
An insurance adjuster may seem helpful by offering to get copies of your medical records. However, adjusters do this so they can obtain your private medical information from before the accident to find some pre-existing condition to blame your injuries on and avoid paying out for your claim.
Making a Fast Settlement Offer
Insurance adjusters may be authorized to make fast settlements so they can close claims for less money before claimants have a chance to hire a Cherry Hill car accident lawyer and learn the actual value of their case. Keep in mind that once you sign a settlement agreement, you release all claims against the insurance company and at-fault driver. You can’t later renegotiate for more money, so you need to ensure any settlement you accept is fair compensation for the damages you’ve suffered.
Blaming You for the Accident
Auto insurance companies may deny your claim by alleging you were responsible for it. They may claim their insured was not at fault, so you are stuck with the costs for car repairs, medical expenses, and other out-of-pocket losses. In these situations, hiring a lawyer who can fight for the compensation you deserve is vital.
Call Our Cherry Hill Car Accident Lawyers Today
Some insurance adjusters may suggest you don’t hire a lawyer, citing that you’ll have to pay attorney fees from your settlement. However, they do this because they know that claims where people are represented by qualified legal counsel receive higher payouts on average than unrepresented claimants. Experienced personal injury lawyers also know the true value of these claims, which interferes with the insurance company’s goal to deny and devalue claims.
Protect yourself from these insurance company tactics by contacting Aronberg, Kouser, Snyder & Lindemann, P.A.
