Accidents may occur from time to time, but when an accident results from someone else’s negligence, we have the option of suing for compensation. Personal Injury liability is to the effect that when a defendant’s negligence causes injury to the claimant, the defendant is liable to pay damages.
In reality, this liability shifts to the defendant’s insurance company if the defendant has one. However, many insurance providers work hard to evade liability. They would either offer you settlement way below what you deserve or deny your claims entirely. If this is your case, you shouldn’t fret. Our personal injury lawyers understand the complexities that may arise from cases like these as we’ve been handling it for years. We’d show you just how to deal with insurance providers and get the compensation that you deserve without hassles.
The Duties of an Insurance Company in Personal Injury Claims
The first step to dealing with insurance providers is understanding what roles they play in personal injury claims. This will put you in a better position to understand what to expect from them.
However, you should note that an insurance provider owes their duty to their clients and not you. As such, they’d do everything in their power to pay you a minimal settlement sum. In a personal injury claim, an insurance company should:
Defend Their Clients
An insurance company is responsible for defending their clients in a personal injury claim against them. They would ensure that their client’s interests are protected during negotiations. If negotiation fails and the matter becomes a full-fledged lawsuit, they would get a defense lawyer for their clients.
Thoroughly Investigate Claims
Insurance providers ought to investigate the claimant’s claims. They would seek to understand the facts surrounding the case and would look for loopholes in the claims.
Pay or Deny Claims
Depending on the outcome of their investigations, insurance providers must pay or deny claims. If they deny a claim, they would state their reasons for doing so.
Act in Good Faith
Insurance companies must act in good faith in the exercise of their lawful duties.
Why an Insurance Company May Deny Your Claims
In dealing with insurance companies, you should expect that they’d try to undervalue your claim. To justify this, they’d try to challenge your claim and deny them at the slightest opportunity.
An insurance company may deny your claims for the following reasons:
Misrepresentations
You should be factual when presenting your claims. Don’t omit any vital information, or you risk being blacklisted. Misrepresentation of facts portrays you as a fraudster and negatively affects your claims.
Irresponsible Behaviors
Your claim may be disregarded if you have been shown to have engaged in some unlawful acts. In a car accident case, an unlawful act would be, say, driving under the influence.
Falsehood
You shouldn’t falsify information to get higher compensation. Such action puts you on the blacklist too.
What You Should Avoid During Negotiations With Insurance Companies
Avoid the following when negotiating with an Insurance company:
Giving Irrelevant Information
Insurance adjusters are smart and cunny. They can sometimes ask you irrelevant questions to get information that would be detrimental to the claim. Refuse to answer any question that isn’t directly relevant to your claim.
Agreeing to a Recorded Statement
Never make any statement on record. Anything you say would be used as evidence against you.
Being Desperate
Insurance adjusters can smell desperation from miles away and would exploit it to your disadvantage. Don’t be in a hurry to conclude the settlement; it puts them in an advantaged position.
Signing Premature Medical Releases
Medical releases are only required at the concluding stages of your treatment. You should never sign it before then if you wish to get the best out of the settlement.
Not Calling a Lawyer
You should never negotiate with an insurance company without an experienced personal injury lawyer by your side. Your lawyer would ensure that you don’t make mistakes along the way and don’t settle for less than you deserve.
Get an Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer at Aeton Law
If you’ve suffered some personal injury as a result of someone else’s negligence, you deserve the highest compensation possible. Even when you’ve signed a waiver, you can still get some compensation with an expert lawyer by your side.
You shouldn’t compromise when getting a good lawyer, that’s why we connect you to the best quality lawyers in Connecticut. Attorneys from Aeton Law would negotiate the best settlement for you, and if you decide to go to court, we’re ready to go with you.