After your car accident, you’re going to be contacted by one or more insurance companies. Although they might guise their approach as looking out for your best interests, the truth is that insurance company representatives are doing nothing more than looking for ways to pay you as little as possible for your accident. Therefore, while they’re analyzing your accident to see what should be paid, they’re also looking for evidence that may justify denying you the compensation you deserve.
So, as you ready yourself to navigate the aftermath of your car accident, you should exercise care. With that in mind, let’s look at some reasons why you shouldn’t trust an insurance company and why you should consult with your attorney before engaging with them.
Top reasons why you shouldn’t trust an insurance company
Remember, insurance companies are in the business of making money. They ensure profitability by collecting insurance premiums while reducing the amount they have to pay out in claims. So, you shouldn’t expect the insurance company to be looking out for your best interest. In fact, here are some reasons why you shouldn’t trust an insurance company that approaches you after an accident:
- Low settlement offers: This is one of the most effective ways for insurance companies to cut costs. They’ll prey on your desire to resolve your case quickly and speedily acquire cash by offering you haste payment. But these offers are going to be for far less than your claim is actually worth. So, before accepting one of these settlements, fully gauge the extent of your damages and whether the offered settlement amount goes far enough to alleviate your losses.
- Application of fault: New Jersey recognizes comparative negligence, meaning that the value of your legal claim can be diminished by the amount of fault that’s allocated to you. So, the insurance company might try to convince you that you’re partially to blame for your accident, thereby justifying their lowball settlement offer. You shouldn’t take the insurance company at its word, though, as they may be misconstruing the facts just to get you to settle your case quicker and cheaper.
- Delay: Another way to put pressure on you to settle your case is to delay the processing of your claim. The insurance company knows that you’re in tight financial constraints after your accident, which they’ll use as a pressure point to try to get you to settle for a smaller amount. If the insurance company is taking too long to investigate your claim and get back to you, then you need to push for answers so that you can get the process moving along more quickly.
- Downplaying your injuries: Despite the severity of your injuries, the insurance company is going to argue that they’re not as severe as you claim them to be. That way, the insurance company justifies paying you less than what you otherwise deserve. They may even go so far as to require you to obtain multiple medical opinions.
Don’t leave your personal injury case to chance
There’s a lot on the line when you’re injured in a car accident. If you mishandle your insurance and legal claims, then you might be cut off from the financial resources you need to spur your recover forward. Therefore, now is the time to get to work building your personal injury case and developing a negotiating strategy that you can utilize with insurance companies. Hopefully then you can find accountability and recover the compensation you need to offset your losses.
