In the days and weeks following a car accident, you may encounter numerous obstacles, making it difficult for you to obtain the compensation and justice you deserve. When dealing with a car accident claim, you should know that insurance companies and their adjusters are focused on their well-being and bottom line.
To protect you from insurance companies and their tactics, it helps to recognize what issues may arise and how you may overcome the problems. Below, we’ll explain five of the many things insurance companies don’t want you to know when you’re filing a car accident claim. This knowledge can help prepare you for what’s to come so that you can protect your rights.
Insurance companies don’t want you to know they:
- Put profits over people
- Use pre-existing conditions to deny claims
- Delay claims to get you to accept a settlement
- Act friendly to get you to believe what they want
- Don’t want you to have legal counsel
Contact our firm today at (303) 861-2800 and learn your rights.
1. They Put Profits Over People
Insurance companies focus on their profits like any other large business. Unfortunately, when they do put profits first, they do it at the expense of people who need them the most. It’s difficult to endure, especially when you rely so heavily on insurance providers when you suffer injuries in an accident.
Because insurance companies want to protect their bottom line, they offer low settlements that don’t meet your needs. These low settlement offers are insurance companies’ ways to pay out much less than they should. Their methods are not always ethical, and these bad faith practices may give you legal rights.
2. They Use Pre-Existing Conditions to Deny Claims
If you have a pre-existing injury stemming from another condition, insurance companies may try to use them against you. For instance, if you have a neck injury that you sustained in a separate incident, and then you had an injury because of the crash, insurance adjusters may use this to deny your claim.
If insurance adjusters cannot deny your claims for a pre-existing condition, they may try to reduce the amount you recover by claiming that your injury from the crash was not nearly as bad as you claim it to be.
3. They Delay Claims to Get You to Accept a Settlement
Insurance adjusters know how difficult it is to endure a significant injury and have to wait for compensation. Unfortunately, this is a time when you may not be receiving an income because your injury forces you out of work, and you may have mounting medical bills.
Because insurance companies know you need money, they’ll push a settlement on you and sometimes delay your claim. They want you to feel like you have to accept their settlement to get any amount of money. Insurance adjusters may tell you that it is their final offer, and you may not receive anything else if you don’t accept their settlement.
Keep in mind, if insurance companies unnecessarily and unfairly delay claims for their own benefit, it’s considered bad faith insurance, and you have legal rights. Working with a lawyer can help show insurance adjusters that you mean business.
4. They Act Friendly to Get You to Believe What They Want
Insurance adjusters train to deal with these situations on a daily basis. They are negotiators with a focus on protecting insurance companies and their profits following a car accident. As such, they can come off friendly when you need them, but that’s not always their true intentions. They want you to feel comfortable with them. They hope that accomplishing this will get you to listen to what they have to say, provide statements, and more.
It’s unfortunate to think about, but if you encounter insurance adjusters, you risk having your rights taken advantage of. Before speaking with insurance adjusters, you should be sure to speak with a legal professional about what options you have and how you hold insurance companies accountable.
5. They Don’t Want You to Have Legal Counsel
Insurance companies have large legal teams who focus on finding any and all evidence that they can use to deny a claim. These legal teams can be intimidating, especially if you have never experienced a car accident claim and you’re not sure what to expect. As such, it’s in your best interest to secure legal counsel of your own to help you through the matters.
Many people have misconceptions when it comes to hiring a lawyer, especially when they are already dealing with financial issues. Keep in mind, most personal injury lawyers provide legal counsel on a contingency fee basis.
What does a contingency fee agreement mean for you? It means you can pursue compensation without having to worry about upfront costs. In fact, you don’t pay anything unless you receive compensation for the injuries you endure. Simply put, if you don’t win, you don’t pay for legal representation.
At Springer & Steinberg, P.C., we’re in the business of protecting people who need it most. We’re focused on providing the highest level of care through all legal matters. From start to finish, you receive tenacious and personalized representation that meets your needs.
Our Denver personal injury lawyers are committed to you during one of the most difficult situations you may encounter. We’re here for you, and we’ll go above and beyond when your legal rights are at stake.
For a free consultation, we encourage you to call our firm today at (303) 861-2800 and get the legal help you need.