Despite the numerous advertisements, insurance companies are NOT on your side after an accident. Their main objective is to pay injured accident victims as little as possible, so they can increase their own profits. To do this, the insurance adjuster will look for any way possible to deny your claim outright or reduce the amount of your settlement. In order to obtain the money you need after a car accident, it is important to understand insurance company tricks and tactics that they frequently use to reduce your claims.
5 Insurance Company Tricks and Tactics
- Asking for a Recorded Statement – the insurance adjuster will call you and want you to submit a recorded statement. They will even seem polite and helpful and tell you that this is just a formality. Keep in mind that they’re looking for any way to reduce your claim. Anything you say can – and will – be used against you. When an adjuster asks for a recorded statement, simply say no and then call an attorney.
- Offering a Quick Settlement – when an accident is particularly serious, the insurance company may offer you a quick settlement. They do this in the hopes that you will sign quickly, sometimes before the full extent of your injuries is truly known. Never sign anything without first speaking to an experienced Denver injury attorney.
- Asking for Unnecessary Tests – in order to delay your claim, the insurance company may send you for unnecessary medical testing. They may then use these test results combined with their own doctor’s analysis as a basis for denying your claim.
- Not Returning Phone Calls – one of the easiest ways an insurance company reduces its claims is by simply not returning phone calls promptly. The longer they can drag out your claim, the more desperate you will become as bills and expenses continue to rise. They know that the longer they can avoid paying you, the easier it will be to settle your claim.
- Claim You Had a Pre-existing Condition – insurance companies will examine your medical records closely to see if you had a pre-existing condition. If you did, they may your injury to try and reduce their own liabilities. However, an experienced Denver injury attorney will be able to clearly show that your pre-existing injury was made worse by the accident you were in.
Contact Our Denver Personal Injury Attorneys
If you’ve been injured in an accident because of another person’s negligence, you deserve to be compensated for your injuries and for any damages you suffered. Unfortunately, insurance companies work diligently to reduce claims. As such, they may try to offer you a settlement that is far below what you actually need to recover. At The Gold Law Firm, our attorneys can help level the playing field when negotiating with insurance companies. Contact Gregory A. Gold of the Gold Law Firm today for a free consultation at (303) 694-4653.