Tricks Insurance Companies Use to Pay You Less

Alabama car accident lawyers explain what you need to know

The financial toll of a bad car accident caused by another driver can add up quickly. The average car accident claim is approximately $21,000 per person per accident. But such figures can vary widely. Some accidents might be worth less money. Others can be worth significantly more. The difference can depend on many different factors, including the total value of the medical treatment related to your accident, the cost of your vehicle repairs, whether you can return to work or need replacement income while your recover.

Whatever the financial impact of your accident, insurance companies should be there to help you get the financial support you deserve to get your life back on track. Unfortunately, many insurance companies do the exact opposite. Instead of paying injury victims the money they deserve for accident-related expenses, some of them play games or use tricks to try to avoid paying injury victims the money they need and deserve.

In Alabama, it’s the at-fault party’s responsibility to financially compensate injury victims for all of their accident-related expenses. This means the insurance company for the at-fault driver must pay for other people’s medical bills, vehicle repairs and other accident expenses.

So what tricks do insurance companies play to try to pay injury victims less? And what can you do to demand the money you rightfully deserve? Here’s some helpful advice from experienced car accident lawyers in Alabama who represent injury victims and their families.

Games insurance companies play after an accident

After a serious car accident clearly caused by another driver, the insurance company for the at-fault driver often plays different games in an effort to pay injury victims less money or nothing at all. Such tricks and games include:

Insurance company contacts you to ask a few questions – This might seem straightforward. But the reality is they’re fishing for information they can use to reduce or deny your accident claim.
Insurance company does not return your calls – Another game insurance companies sometimes play is to ignore your calls or emails requesting information about your accident claim. This can be extremely frustrating if you’re trying to find out the status of your accident claim or get other important information from the other driver’s insurance company.
Insurance company makes a lowball settlement offer – This is a classic game insurance companies often play, especially soon after an accident. This is because the full financial impact of your accident is often not completely known immediately after an accident. As a result, insurance companies are hoping you will simply accept the first offer they make, even if it doesn’t even come close to covering all your past, present and future anticipated accident expenses.

These are just some of the tricks insurance companies often try to play in order to pay accident victims less or nothing at all. This is why it’s critical that you have an experienced attorney on your side, demanding the money you rightfully deserve.

Excuses insurance companies use after a car accident

Along with playing games with accident victims entitled to receive compensation for their crash, insurance companies often have a lot of excuses for why they can’t pay you or other accident victims more money. Such excuses include:

‘That’s our best offer’ – Insurance companies often refuse to negotiate with injury victims or their families. And one of the most common excuses they make is they cannot make a better settlement offer. Often, they insist that their first offer is their best offer. The reality is insurance companies can and will negotiate, if injury victims have an aggressive attorney on their side.
‘You’re not seriously injured’ – Another excuse you might encounter from insurance companies is doubts expressed by insurance company officials about the severity of your car accident injury. Even though you have bills from your medical care and other documentation of your injuries, some insurance company officials may try to claim you’re not actually hurt or that your injury is a pre-existing medical condition.
‘We don’t believe your story’ – Don’t be surprised if the at-fault driver’s insurance company expresses doubts about your version of what happened in the accident. This is especially common if the other driver claims you caused the crash.

Whatever reason insurance companies use to try to avoid paying you the money you deserve, don’t settle for their excuses. Demand the compensation you need to get your life back on track. Talk to an attorney as soon as possible.

What you can do to demand more money

If the other driver’s insurance company refuses to negotiate with you and won’t offer more money, there are several things you should do to hopefully improve your ability to get the compensation you deserve:

Don’t discuss your accident – While it might be tempting to talk about your accident or post something about it on social media, anything you say or write could be used as evidence by the at-fault driver’s insurance company to deny your injury claim. You should only discuss the accident with your lawyer.
Don’t talk to the other driver’s insurance company – Again, don’t be surprised if the other driver’s insurance company contacts you after your accident to simply ask a few questions. Don’t trust them. Anything you say or put in writing with them could be used to reduce or deny your accident claim.
Keep your receipts – Make sure you keep all receipts and documents related to your car accident injury. Receipts for medical care, vehicle repairs and other bills can be critical when asking for additional money for your accident.
Hire an attorney – The sooner you have a lawyer representing you and demanding the money you rightfully deserve, the better. An experienced attorney can help you in many different ways after your accident.

How a lawyer can help you

Having an experienced attorney on your side can make a dramatic difference in the outcome of your case. Your lawyer can investigate your claim and gather evidence in support of your case. That way, your attorney can negotiate with confidence with the at-fault driver’s insurance company and demand the money you rightfully deserve.

Our dedicated legal team at Dean Waite & Associates, LLC in Alabama has been fighting for the rights of injury victims and their families for years. Attorney Waite knows how to negotiate effectively with insurance companies. He understands which strategies can be the most effective and what approach to take when insurance companies refuse to cooperate. The result – we consistently secure sizable settlements and verdicts for injury victims and their families.

Learn more about how we can help you after your car accident. Contact our law firm and schedule your free case evaluation at our Mobile, Alabama office right now. We handle injury claims throughout Alabama.

Click here to download a printable PDF of this article, "Tricks Insurance Companies Use to Pay You Less."