If you want the best chance of receiving full and fair compensation, you need an attorney
If you have been injured in a car accident that was not your fault, you can receive compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance provider. However, before you get paid, an insurance adjuster will review your case, looking for any possible way to reduce the amount of compensation that the insurance company has to provide. Here are 5 possible tactics that the insurance adjuster may use against you.
Denying Liability
If the insurance adjuster can prove that the policy holder was not at fault for the accident, they will not have to pay the claim. From their perspective, this is the best possible outcome so you can expect the evidence showing liability to be investigated and attacked aggressively by the insurance company. If it is not possible to deny liability entirely, they may be able to argue that you were partially liable for your own injuries, which will reduce the amount of compensation they must provide.
Challenging Non-Economic Damages
Another common strategy for insurance adjusters is to challenge the validity and/or value of non-economic damages like pain and suffering. Because these damages are subjective and vary from victim to victim, they are difficult to prove and the insurance adjuster will seek to take advantage of this.
Questioning Medical Treatment
While most insurance companies will not dispute emergency medical treatment after an accident, they may question other less traditional treatments and services such as chiropractic care or acupuncture. They may argue that these treatments are not really necessary. They may also question the price paid for any type of medical treatment.
Challenging Future Expenses
In cases where the victim has suffered a serious, debilitating or permanent injury, their medical treatment will not be complete by the time their case needs to be decided. This means that the claim will include compensation for future expenses such as surgery, physical therapy, medications, nursing care, etc. Since the costs of future expenses are by nature estimates, the insurance adjuster will almost certainly question them.
Alleging a Pre-Existing Condition
One particularly sneaky tactic that insurance adjusters sometimes use is arguing that they are not liable for the injury because it is related to a pre-existing condition. This is very misleading. While it is true that the defendant is not liable for the existence of the condition, they are liable for making the condition worse. Unfortunately, many accident victims do not understand the distinction and may get taken advantage of by the insurance company.
We Will Fight for You
If you have been injured in any kind of personal injury accident, you do not want to face the insurance adjuster alone. You need a skilled and experienced personal injury attorney such as The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker working on your behalf. As your attorney, we will fight to make sure you receive full and fair compensation for your injuries and suffering, even if this means going to court. Contact us at 800-333-0000 today to learn more.
