After being in an automobile accident, at some point, all car accident victims will have to deal with the driver’s insurance company. It is strongly advised that you retain a skilled Boca Raton car accident attorney to handle these communications.
Insurers are notorious for using a number of underhanded tricks to either underpay or outright deny payment on accident claims. Steinberg Law is here to protect the rights of Florida car crash victims and win the maximum compensation available.
Insurance Companies Are Not on Your Side
The insurance representative you speak with over the phone may sound friendly and sympathetic to your plight. But don’t be fooled. Insurance companies are for-profit businesses. The more claims they deny, and the less they pay out, the higher their profits. They, therefore, have a strong incentive to use anything they can to shift blame for the accident to you.
This rule applies even with respect to your own insurance company. You may have the right to seek compensation from your insurer. An example is if you’ve been involved in a hit-and-run accident in Boca Raton. You may think your insurer works for you because you own the policy. But if the opportunity arises to deny your claim, count on the insurance company leaping at it.
Common Tricks Insurers Use Against Car Accident Victims
With that general warning in mind, here are some specific things insurers do to deny and underpay claims:
Recorded Statements
While you are typically required to speak to your own insurance company, the same doesn’t apply to the other driver’s insurer. The company may call you about your accident or injury and ask you to give a recorded statement. Be careful.
The insurer is well aware that you are probably upset because of your accident. You might even be under the influence of medication. Nevertheless, the adjuster will use your situation to try to get you to “admit” things that aren’t even true.
Perhaps the adjuster asks about your pain. You mention pain in your arm but forget to mention the pain in your back. There could be a number of legitimate reasons for such oversight. The pain could be mild at first, or maybe you got distracted and simply forgot to mention it. Regardless, the insurer will jump on this omission. For instance, the insurer might later deny the extent and nature of your injury. Refer the insurance company to your Boca Raton automobile accident lawyer.
Hiring a Private Investigator
There’s nothing necessarily wrong with an insurance company hiring a private investigator. The issue is how the company uses the information it gathers.
Let’s say you have doctor-ordered work restrictions because of your injuries. You abide by these nearly all of the time you are recovering. But once, out of habit, you deviate briefly from the restriction. Although you complied 99% of the time with the restrictions, expect this event to be recorded and brought up later.
A Boca Raton accident lawyer will make sure that insurance companies don’t manipulate evidence in this way.
Medical Releases
Insurance companies often send medical release forms to Boca Raton automobile/car accident victims. This is reasonable. Insurers want to know the nature of the injuries you are claiming, which they might have to pay for. But beware of the general medical release.
A general release might expose all of your medical history. The information revealed by the release could be used against you. For instance, the insurance company might learn that you had a preexisting injury. The insurer may try to shift blame away from the responsible driver to your injury.
Let Us Represent You in Your Florida Automobile Accident
If you find yourself amongst other Florida car accident victims, you should retain a Boca Raton car crash attorney to handle all dealings with the insurance company. Our firm can review any forms car accident victims are asked to sign.
Also, we will take steps to ensure all evidence is fairly presented – not just whatever makes the insurer look good. Let Steinberg Law take care of negotiations so you can focus on recovering from your accident. Call us today.
