Estate Lawyer
If you sustain an injury through no fault of your own, you can file a personal injury claim to receive compensation for:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
Dealing with insurance companies requires persistence and negotiation skills to reach the settlement you deserve. A skilled personal injury attorney can combat the following tactics insurance companies use to minimize or eliminate your compensation.
Claiming a Pre-Existing Condition Caused Your Injury
An insurance company’s mission is to pay out as little as possible for every claim it receives. Inevitably, you will need to disclose details about your health. The insurance company will claim that your condition results from your health issue and not the accident. An experienced personal injury attorney can combat this argument by making a case that the accident exacerbated your condition.
Creating an Alternate Version of What Happened
Insurance adjusters justify low damage payments by creating loopholes, contradictions, and alternate scenarios that make victims responsible for their accidents. A sharp personal injury attorney can predict these tactics and knows how to counter them.
Pushing You to Settle Quickly
An insurance company may try to force you to settle quickly before the full extent of your injuries is known. This rush to pay takes advantage of your concerns about medical bills or your inability to resume working. It is not unusual for the full consequences of many injuries to first appear weeks or months after an accident. A personal injury attorney will advise you to get a full medical assessment and complete your recommended treatment before acknowledging your injuries’ extent and cost.
Delaying a Settlement
If you don’t accept an insurance company’s initial settlement offer, you may find that processing your case begins to slow down. Unavailable insurance representatives, misplaced paperwork and ambiguous communication are tactics insurance companies use to delay settling claims until they exceed the statute of limitations for legitimacy. A personal injury attorney can prevent this by issuing a formal demand letter with a detailed request for damages.
Requesting a Recorded Statement
Insurance adjusters may ask for a recorded statement with answers to specific questions about the accident. They may use this to manipulate you into saying something that may reduce or eliminate your claim. Personal injury attorneys know that this is unnecessary and can firmly deny the request.