Car insurance providers charge their customers monthly premiums and advertise their wide variety of services, but they are also trying to protect their own interests.
Insurance claims adjusters may take steps and use strategies to avoid paying damages to car accident victims. An experienced Michigan auto accident attorney like any of the professionals at Bashore Green can help you to overcome these efforts from the insurance companies. Here are a few tips to consider:
A Recorded Statement is not needed
After a car accident, the insurance company of the person responsible will contact you and ask for a statement. Some insurance adjusters will even tell you that you are required to give a statement or that not giving a statement will hurt your case. This is not true.
We strongly advise against giving a statement without legal representation.
These recorded statements are an opportunity for some insurance agents to ask leading questions and trick you into saying something that they can use against you later. Even an interaction as simple as an adjuster asking “How are you feeling today?” can cause you to automatically respond with “fine,” “good,” or “okay”— statements the adjuster could use to say that your injuries are not as serious as you claim.
When speaking with insurance adjusters, keep responses to a minimum and only provide basic identifying and contact information. Better yet, let our team of attorneys handle all communications with the insurance company.
Medical Records can be used against you
Justify reducing or denying a claim, insurance claim adjusters may look deep into your past in the hopes of finding the information they can use against you. Some agents may request decades of medical records, which they will carefully search through to discover any preexisting conditions that may exist.
Never give an insurance company the power to request medical records on your behalf. Instead, have your legal team review all requests for medical records. An experienced attorney will make sure adjusters only receive medical records relevant to your accident.
Insurance companies may try to stall
After an accident, you may feel overwhelmed about all that you have to do. Medical bills and vehicle repair costs are piling up at the same time you cannot work due to your injuries, leaving you without the ability to cover everyday expenses and making it difficult for you to be patient.
Car insurance adjusters know that you are under a lot of pressure, and they may use your uncertainty and fear to their advantage. Insurance companies know that you need financial relief, so some adjusters will wait until you are desperate enough to accept a settlement that is lower than you deserve.
What victims may not know is that there are options to manage pre-settlement expenses. There is no need to rush or accept an unfair settlement offer. Your legal team can help you make the best financial decisions for your case.
The first settlement offer you receive may not be the best you will get
Insurance agents may want you to accept the first settlement amount they offer, but there are lots of reasons not to accept the first offer you receive: Not only can the first offer often be extremely low, but agreeing to a settlement also waives your right to seek additional money. Symptoms of several common car accident injuries may not show up right away. If you experience pain days, weeks, or months later and need compensation for additional medical expenses, you’re out of luck.
Do not accept a settlement offer without reviewing it with a lawyer. Your Bashore Green attorney will negotiate on your behalf until you receive a fair offer or take your case to trial.
Insurance companies do not want you to hire a personal injury attorney
Some insurance adjusters will do everything they can to stop you from hiring legal representation, including claiming that doing so will reduce your settlement amount. This is another falsehood. With Bashore Green, our team only gets paid if you get paid, and hiring one of our experienced lawyers may result in more compensation for victims.
Insurance adjusters are backed by insurance companies staffed with legal teams and expert negotiators who are ready to avoid paying a fair claim by any means necessary. You need an attorney to advocate for you in these negotiations.
Contact an Automobile Accident Attorney Today
If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident, contact the team at Bashore Green. We work with families like yours across all of Metro Detroit and can help you and your family fight for the compensation you deserve. Call (248) 487-1887 or fill out an online contact form for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.