There’s nothing pleasant about being in an accident — especially when it could have been easily avoided if someone had just taken reasonable care or been thinking about the safety of others.
On top of the injury, you have medical bills to handle, lost time from work (which may mean lost income) and a whole host of other possible practical concerns. Most people end up filing a personal injury lawsuit out of necessity — not because they want to — simply because the insurance company responsible for paying their claim isn’t in a rush to help.
In fact, the insurance industry has some well-known tricks that they use to trap injury victims into poor settlements. Some of the most popular ones include:
- Asking you to make a recorded statement before you even have time to see if you have any hidden injuries or can realistically understand how the accident may have affected you for the long run. The goal is to get you to say — on the record — that you don’t think you’re that hurt (so they can use it against you later).
- Misrepresenting the coverage that you’re entitled to receive so that you don’t know your rights (or their obligations).
- Offering quick cash to “help” you with your financial statement — in exchange for a release on your claim for the future. Victims generally end up with far less than they’re due when they accept — and leave themselves vulnerable if there are hidden injuries.
- Using empathy to get you to talk more — and hopefully say something that they can later use to belittle your claim. The adjustor may come to your home to try to get you to “open up” or feign a great deal of concern for your well-being in order to get you to see them as a friend — not an insurance company representative.
Don’t let the insurance company fool you into believing that you don’t need a personal injury attorney or that hiring an attorney is an unnecessary expense. Contact our office today to learn more.