When you purchase insurance for your car, in theory, the insurance company is there to help you as the policyholder if you get into an accident. If you are involved in a car accident or sustain a serious injury while driving, then you will need to file a claim with an insurance company in the hope of receiving compensation for any medical expenses you have incurred, loss of income due to not being able to work while you recover from the injuries, and pain and suffering.
Unfortunately, the truth is that insurance companies are more interested in making a profit than they are in helping you. For that reason, there are quite a few things that your insurance company doesn’t want you to know. If you were aware, then you’d be standing in the way of them making money!
So, what are some of the things that insurance companies would rather be kept a secret? Read on to find out more.
What You Say Can be Used Against You
After a car accident, your insurance company may ask you to provide a recorded statement addressing what happened and the damage that was done. However, you are under no legal obligation to do this, and it is recommended that you don’t unless you’re doing it with a personal injury or car accident attorney who can help you make sure that you are describing the accident in a way that does not incriminate yourself. In fact, even casual remarks that you make while talking with claims adjusters can be taken as formal statements – especially if you are speculating about whether or not the accident was your fault or describing your injuries. Because of this, it’s important to only stick to the basics when talking about your claim and consult a car accident attorney before giving any statements.
Insurance Adjusters are Great At Negotiating
After a car accident, you might simply want to get your money and move on with your life – and the claims adjuster will know this. They might pressure you to accept a settlement offer or even give you a deadline, telling you that you only have a few hours to accept or that this is the best offer that they can come up with. However, it’s best to avoid falling for these tactics and don’t accept the first offer you are given. If you are not confident when it comes to your negotiation skills to get a better offer, you have the right to seek outside counsel and hire a car accident lawyer to negotiate on your behalf.
Adjusters Might be Lying to You
Don’t assume that your insurance adjuster is always being truthful with you when it comes to talking about your claim. For example, they might use information that they know about you, such as existing health conditions to tell you that you are not going to be able to make a claim for the injuries you have suffered in the car accident. However, this is not always the truth. There are lots of things that insurance adjusters might say to you in the hope that you don’t know any better and to see if they can get away with it, which is why it’s always best to have an attorney liaise with them on your behalf. Insurance adjusters are sales people. They want to sell your claim for the lowest price possible.
Claims Adjusters are There to Make Money
We’d all like to believe that the insurance company is there to help us. However, the truth is that most of them have the main goal of simply making money for the company. While the claims adjuster might seem like a nice and helpful person while you are speaking to them, their main job is to try and reduce your claim as much as possible, or even try to have it completely denied. Bear in mind that the insurance company does not make any money from helping you, and the claims adjuster works for them.
They Hire Doctors to Find Pre-Existing Injuries and Minimize Your Claim
If you allow your insurance company access to your medical records when you sign an authorization form, then they are going to use this to find as much information as possible to minimize your claim. To do this, they will often hire doctors who are there to look through your medical records to try and find any records of a pre-existing condition or injury that they can use to throw doubt on your claim. They might then use this to claim that your injury is not as severe as you say it is. Even if your own doctor is backing you up, the insurance company will hire their own doctors to try and contradict this.
They Don’t Want You to Hire a Lawyer
If you have been involved in a car accident, then the first thing you should do is hire a personal injury lawyer. However, your insurance company might want to try to convince you from doing this. They might tell you that hiring a lawyer isn’t worth the cost or that having an attorney is unlikely to help you get a better offer. In most cases, they are hoping that you don’t hire a lawyer so that they are less likely to have to pay out a decent settlement for your case, hoping that without legal counsel you may agree to a seriously low-ball offer just to get it over and done with. Don’t fall for it! Hire an experience personal injury attorney.
You Can Sue Insurance Companies for Unethical Practices
Any practices that act against the best interests of the policyholder are considered to be unethical insurance practices. Insurance companies should always act in accordance with accountability laws, but some assume you won’t know about them. A good lawyer will help ensure that your insurance company is held accountable if they act in a way that is against your best interests.
If you’ve been involved in a car accident, Karns & Karns Personal Injury & Accident Attorneys can help you make sure that you’re not falling foul of these insurance company practices. We can liaise with the insurance company on your behalf. Get in touch today for a free consultation and to find out more. Call Karns & Karns Personal Injury & Accident Attorneys now at 877-557-4221.