What Strategies do Insurance Companies Use to Deny Claims?

After a car crash, slip and fall, or other type of accident, you may be eligible for compensation that can help you recover your medical expenses, lost income, and more. In the vast majority of cases, you must file a claim with an insurance company to recover this compensation. Insurance companies are not in the business of helping accident victims. Instead, their priority is protecting their own profits. To do this, they use many strategies to deny, delay, and reduce claims. Below, our Tampa personal injury attorney outlines some of the most common tactics insurers use.

Requesting Unnecessary Medical Records

Insurance adjusters will often ask for your complete medical records, including those that go back years before your injury and that are irrelevant to your accident. They do this so they can look for pre-existing injuries. If they find any, they will argue that the accident did not cause your injury because you had already suffered it. Even if an accident exacerbated a pre-existing injury, you still have the right to claim compensation for it.

To ensure your rights are protected, never sign anything or provide the insurer with any documentation until you have spoken to an attorney.

Monitoring Your Social Media

Insurance adjusters will also search your social media profiles looking for evidence to use against you. For example, you may post pictures of a family event you attended after the accident. Even if you were in serious pain during the event, the picture will not show this. Instead, the insurer will use the photo as evidence that you are not as seriously injured as you claim.

To avoid this, refrain from posting anything on social media after an accident.

Lowball Settlement Offers

An insurance adjuster may seem very friendly after an accident and as though they want to help. They may even offer a settlement right away. They expect you to be delighted to receive any compensation at all and accept the initial offer. However, it is likely not enough to cover your medical expenses and other losses.

Never accept a settlement offer without first speaking to an attorney who can advise on whether it is the full amount you deserve.

Stall Tactics 

Insurance companies may request duplicate copies of documents you have already submitted, stating they never received them. Or, they may create other administrative hurdles that delay your claim. They are hoping that you will eventually give up on the claim and stop pursuing full damages.

A personal injury lawyer can advise on whether insurers are acting in good faith, and hold them accountable when they do not.

Our Personal Injury Attorney in Tampa Can Negotiate On Your Behalf 

Negotiating with insurance companies for the fair settlement you deserve is one of the most challenging parts of personal injury claims. At Moore Law, our Tampa personal injury attorney can negotiate with the insurer on your behalf to ensure your rights are protected and that you obtain the maximum damages you deserve. Call us today at 813-510-5400 or contact us online to request a consultation and to get the legal representation you need.

Source:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0624/Sections/0624.155.html