When you file a personal injury claim, you expect the at-fault party’s insurance company to cover your losses. Unfortunately, insurers focus on protecting their profits instead of helping accident victims. While the at-fault party’s insurer is fighting an insurance claim, you may feel that the insurance company won’t settle claims at all. Knowing the common tactics insurance companies use to fight injury claims can teach you how to effectively deal with insurance companies.
Causing Unnecessary Delays
Insurance companies frequently delay the claims process to frustrate victims and push them into accepting lower settlements. These delay tactics include:
- Repeatedly Requesting Unnecessary Documentation – Insurance companies often ask for additional records even after receiving thorough documentation. This strategy creates delays and makes the process seem endless.
- Avoiding Communication or Failing to Respond – Adjusters may ignore emails and calls or take weeks to respond, hoping to frustrate you into accepting low offers.
- Prolonging Investigations to Pressure Victims into Settling for Less – Insurers may claim they need extensive time to investigate, hoping to exhaust you financially and emotionally.
Offering Lowball Settlements
To protect their bottom line, insurers often offer settlements that do not reflect the claim’s true value. Several insurance company settlement tactics include:
- Making an Initial Settlement Offer That Is Far Below the Claim’s Value – Insurers offer quick, low settlements, hoping you will feel desperate and take their first offer.
- Hoping Victims Will Accept Before Realizing the Full Extent of Their Damages – Quick settlements prevent you from pursuing additional compensation for future medical expenses.
- Presenting the Offer as a “Final” Payment to Discourage Further Negotiation – Insurers label low offers as final to pressure you into settling.
Disputing Medical Claims
Insurance companies often question the validity of your medical treatment to minimize their payout. Common tactics include:
- Claiming Injuries Are Pre-Existing and Unrelated to the Accident – Insurers may argue your injuries existed before the accident to deny coverage.
- Arguing That Medical Treatment Was Unnecessary or Excessive – Adjusters might claim that your treatments were unnecessary to justify lower payouts.
- Hiring Biased Medical Experts to Downplay Injuries – Insurers may use biased medical experts to reduce your claim’s value.
Blaming the Victim
Insurance companies often shift blame to reduce their liability. They employ tactics like:
- Arguing Comparative Negligence to Reduce Liability – Insurers may claim you share fault to reduce the amount you may pay. If you’re partly at fault in Alabama, you cannot secure any compensation for your injuries. In Georgia, your compensation is reduced by your degree of fault.
- Misinterpreting Accident Reports to Place Fault on the Injured Party – Adjusters may twist accident reports to suggest you caused the accident.
- Using Statements Made by Victims Against Them – Anything you say to an insurance adjuster can be used to undermine your case, which is why you should let an experienced car accident lawyer handle all communications with insurance companies.
Surveilling the Victim
Insurance companies sometimes use surveillance to look for evidence that discredits your claim. They might:
- Monitor Social Media for Posts That Contradict Your Claims – Insurers review social media for posts suggesting you are less injured than you claim.
- Hire Investigators to Record Activities That Could Be Used Against You – Insurers may hire investigators to try to catch you doing something you should be physically unable to do.
- Misinterpret Everyday Actions as Proof of Lack of Injury – If you perform normal activities with no difficulty, insurers could argue that you’re misrepresenting your injuries.
Contact Us Today for Help Fighting These Insurance Company Tactics
Do not let insurance companies take advantage of you. An experienced legal team can fight for the compensation you need.
The skilled personal injury lawyers at Parker Trial Law have years of experience fighting insurance companies and securing maximum compensation for our clients. Call for a free case consultation today.
