When recovering from an injury, you will often need to push insurance companies to cover your expenses. Your personal injury attorney can help you deal some of the insurance company frustrations, and at the very least get you up to speed on what to expect.
Here are a few facts about insurers.
- An Insurance Company Does Not Need to Be Quick
Promptness is not part of their legal obligation. If another driver is at fault for your car collision, and their insurance company is dragging their feet on paying you your settlement, this is a common issue.
- Insurance Representative are Skilled Negotiators
These insurance adjusters are charged with the task of minimizing their company’s payouts. So, their job is to pay you as little as possible. Do not them bully you. Let your attorney negotiate on your behalf, and protect yourself with every tool at your disposal.
- Say as Little as You Can
An insurance adjuster will try to get you to agree to what THEY say happened in your accident. Do not fall for it. Do not sign their agreements. Do not record statement for them, explaining what happened. Let your attorney represent you.
- Insurers Will Try to Not Pay Your Medical Bills
The insurance company will try to say that you had a pre-existing condition, and therefore the accident did not cause your condition. They may accuse you of attempting fraud, so as to scare you. Be prepared for these worrying, disconcerting accusations to be made, and do not let them intimidate you.
- Refuse Their First Settlement Offer
The insurance company will try to rush you. They know you need money quickly – to pay the emergency room bill, or pay for the ambulance, or to fix your busted vehicle. And since they know you are in distress, they will try to convince you that you should accept their first offer. Do not fall for that. They may capitalize on your vulnerable state. You may not even know how badly you are actually injured yet. Take your time. Their first offer is almost always a lowball settlement.
Can They Take Away Your Driver’s License?
- They May Threaten to Suspend Your License
In recent years, insurance companies have begun implementing a trick. They will pay their policyholder’s claim, and then mail a notice of “collections” to the driver of the other vehicle. They sometime will threaten to revoke or suspend the driver’s license of this other driver. Do not worry. They do not have the power to do this. The only way your license could be suspended is if you have been sued and had the court rule against you. In most cases, this has not happened.
- They May Avoid You After You Refuse a First Offer
If you refuse the insurer’s first lowball bid, they may start avoiding you. They do this hoping you will give up. They may “misplace” paperwork you have sent, or not return calls. This is another reason why it is better to let an attorney deal with the insurance back-and-forth. It is harder to them to ignore an attorney.
- Do Not Sign Anything Without Having Your Lawyer Read It
There are some lessons you do not need to learn. You are not responsible for understanding SSI and SSDI. You do not need to know the details about injury compensation. And you do not need to be a contract expert. Let your personal injury attorney review anything – absolutely anything – the insurance company is trying to get you to sign.