When you are involved in an accident, whether it is a car crash or an injury at work, it can be an incredibly stressful time. Not only could you have issues with repairing your vehicle, but you may also be injured and be unable to work, or you could be suffering from emotional trauma, and be unable to sleep at night due to nightmares. Whatever your situation, it is important that you receive fair compensation for the consequences of your accident. In this day and age, though, insurance companies often make it as difficult as possible for you to seek the compensation that you are rightfully due, and there are several ways they go about doing it. In this article, we are going to find out how, so read on to find out more.
They Tell You to Avoid Using Lawyers
This is an insurance company’s number one tactic because they know that it will save them thousands. Their idea is to convince you that it isn’t worth the cost to hire a lawyer to fight your compensation claim by saying that their fees will be so high that you won’t get paid any compensation in the end. This is utter garbage and should be ignored at all costs. Firstly, all compensation lawyers work on a no win no fee basis, and there will be a set percentage of your compensation that you will pay as a fee, and this is a fixed amount. It will not be anywhere near half of the compensation due so you can rest assured you will still get paid out. Secondly, they know that lawyers are good and will use legitimate tactics to increase your compensation payout, and this is the main reason they will tell you to avoid them. Do not listen to them, and instead engage a lawyer to maximize your payout.
Delaying Tactics
All states have a statute of limitations, and this effectively means that there is a time period from the date of your accident until a point that you can still make a claim. It differs in the various states, so it is worth knowing the period where you live. Expert lawyers from KerleySchaffer.com advise that the usual tactic is to delay giving a judgment on a case until after the statute of limitations period runs out, and then they will not have to pay you anything. If you feel like this is happening to you, then you really need to get a lawyer involved so that they can push the insurance company and stop them from delaying a judgment by whatever means necessary. Sure, you will pay a lawyer a percentage of your compensation, but this is much better than receiving no compensation at all!
By Offering a Low Settlement
If you do not engage a lawyer, how will you know what a fair amount of compensation is for your injuries? This is exactly what insurance companies are banking on. They will offer you an amount of compensation that is nowhere near a fair amount and will bank on the fact that you may think it was a fair sum, so you will just go ahead and accept it. This is the worst thing that you can do. If you are not using a lawyer you should at least negotiate as the only way is up but the sensible thing would be to engage a lawyer who will be able to push for the exact level of compensation that your injuries warrant.
They Will Tell You That You Are Not Covered for Damages
Often insurance companies will just lie brazenly, hoping that you will just let the case drop. You may have prepared your case for compensation after an injury in the workplace, and then the next thing you hear is that your policy doesn’t cover damages or injuries. Well, this is nonsense. They are hoping that you are one of the thousands of people who do not read their insurance policies properly and will then believe what they are hearing. Never accept this argument as you are certainly due to compensation from an accident. If needs be, use a lawyer to fight your case.
They Will Not Pay Medical Bills
Another new tactic that insurance companies are increasingly using is to refuse to pay medical bills on the grounds that your injury wasn’t caused by the crash that you were involved in. This is why it is absolutely fundamental that you have yourself medically checked out as soon as practically possible after an accident and that you have those medical checks documented. If you do not, an insurance company will argue that you sustained your injuries elsewhere, and it will be nigh on impossible to make a claim for medical expenses. Make sure you do not learn the lesson the hard way, by documenting all your hospital visits and check-ups as thoroughly as possible.
They Use Their Own Mechanics
If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, an insurance company will often try to have your vehicle sent to a specific garage for repair, that they have a special relationship with. However, this may not be what is best for you. What the insurer will not tell you is that you have the right to send your vehicle to any authorized garage that you wish, and often, it may surprise you to hear, you will end up getting a better deal on your repairs than at the insurers recommended garage! Always shop around so that you end up with the fair compensation, and not what the insurance company tries to get away with. They will try their best to undercut what is due, so always be one step ahead of their games.
As we have learned there are many different tactics insurers use to avoid paying compensation. They try to dissuade you from using lawyers, they will try and delay a judgment until after the statute of limitations runs out, and they will even low ball you in the hope that you will accept through naivety. Finally, they may even try and convince you that you are not even due compensation. Ignore all this tosh and engage a lawyer to fight your case, and then you will receive what you deserve.
