When you suffer injuries in a car accident, you might believe that the insurance company will take care of you. However, insurance companies know they can improve their profit margins by paying victims less. They may balk at paying an injury award that reflects the severity of your injuries. A car accident lawyer can help you with insurance strategies to turn the tables on the insurer’s tactics.
Why Insurance Companies May Fight Your Claim
The first time you hear from the insurance company, the representatives may tell you they’ll help you receive a fair financial award. However, as the claim progresses, you may find that the insurer is doubting your version of the events or questioning the severity of your injuries.
Insurance companies can increase their profit margins by paying lower financial awards to accident injury victims. They may try to use a technicality found during their accident investigation to convince you that you were partially at fault.
With pressure from them regarding fault, they hope that you will accept a lower settlement offer just to receive something. In doing so, the insurer keeps its profits high.
Your car accident lawyers understand the motives of the insurance company. Such knowledge helps them develop strategies to counteract the insurer’s actions, attempting to maximize your insurance award in pursuit of fair compensation.
Contact our team today so we can fight to help you get the compensation you deserve.
Your Car Accident Lawyer Will Investigate the Crash
One thing we see repeatedly in traffic accident FAQs is the difficulty of determining who is at fault for the accident.
You can be sure the insurance company will perform its own investigation, looking for evidence that may show your actions played a role in the crash. If the insurance company can blame you for the crash and your injuries, you may see a reduction in your compensation or an outright denial of your claim.
However, you do not have to accept the insurer’s investigation as the final word. Your car accident lawyers will perform their own investigation, looking for evidence that shows you did nothing wrong or that your role was far less than the insurer is alleging.
Your legal representation’s experience performing investigations in accidents like this is an important benefit of hiring a car accident lawyer. Your attorney might:
- Study the police report
- Speak to witnesses
- Seek any security or traffic camera video that shows what led to the crash
- Ask accident recreation professionals for their opinion
- Access any data collection devices in the car or truck that show the actions of the other driver
- Access smartphone records to see whether the other driver was texting and driving
Proving liability through the lawyer’s investigation is a key strategy for countering the insurance company’s efforts to blame you.
Creating an Accurate Value for Your Claim
Because insurance companies want to reduce the amount they have to pay you, they frequently try to undervalue the hardships your injuries will cause. By assigning a lower value to your hardships, they can use a lower starting point for the settlement negotiation.
You probably have little to no experience with valuing injury claims on your own. The insurance company knows this, which is why it tries to undervalue your claim. It hopes you’ll accept the lower offer because you don’t know what your injury claim is truly worth.
One important service that your car accident lawyer provides is creating an accurate value for your claim. Your attorney could:
- Interview your doctors to determine your long-term emotional and physical hardships
- Talk with doctors about your employment prospects
- Interview your family members about the hardships you’re having
- Discuss any reduction in your quality of life
Your car accident lawyers then use this information and their experience with past cases similar to yours to develop an accurate valuation. This is a key strategy that your lawyers can use when attempting to maximize your financial award because it brings facts to the negotiating table against the insurer.
Free Consultation 24/7, call 888-340-7454
Keeping the Claim Moving Forward
One technique insurers use to try to convince you to accept a smaller financial award is drawing out the process. Insurers may stall in hopes that you’ll become frustrated and just accept whatever award offer they make to you, even if it’s lower than what your injuries indicate you should have.
If you are unable to work, you may have significant worries about your family’s financial situation. After a long delay, it can be tempting to accept the insurer’s first offer to receive some money and get the process over with.
Insurance companies know this, which is why they deploy stalling techniques. The more desperate you are to receive a financial payment, the more likely you are to accept any amount they offer.
Your car accident lawyer takes every possible step to keep your case moving forward. We’ve seen the stalling tactics that insurers have used in our past cases, allowing us to work against them. The following are some of the strategies car accident lawyers may employ to put pressure on the insurer to treat you fairly:
- Being persistent: Your lawyer keeps in touch with the insurer, looking for a faster resolution.
- Producing facts: It’s more difficult for the insurer to stall when your lawyer has facts about your injuries and who is at fault for the accident.
- Being honest: Your lawyer should be honest with you about every step being taken and about the timeline for reaching a settlement. Achieving the highest possible settlement award for you can take some time, and your lawyer will prepare you for this.
Call 888-340-7454
Let Accident Hotline Help With Your Injury Claim
Seeking a fair settlement from insurance in personal liability claims or car accident claims can be challenging on your own.
At Accident Hotline, we help individuals connect with car accident lawyers nationwide. We can provide advice when you suffer injuries in an auto accident and are wondering whether you have an injury claim. We offer 24/7 consultations.
Call us today at (888) 340-7454 for a free case review.
For a free consultation, call 888-340-7454
