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When you are injured in a car accident, you believe that your insurance company will be there to help you through the difficulties. After all, you pay your premiums on-time and you’ve been a loyal customer for years. Unfortunately, insurance companies don’t care about the money you need to recover. They simply care about protecting their bottom lines and their profits. That’s why the insurance industry in the United States sees average profits of over $30 billion a year. How do they make these profits – by delaying, denying, and refusing valid accident claims and using a variety of tricks.
Demanding a Statement
Immediately after an accident, insurance adjusters will begin calling accident victims. You may still be recovering from your injuries and unable to clearly articulate the events of the accident. That’s what the adjuster is counting on. They may ask you to make a recorded statement at this time in the hopes of finding any information they can use to reduce or deny your claim. Avoid making any statements at all. You have a right to say that you would like to consult with an attorney prior to giving a statement. Don’t let the insurance company convince you otherwise.
Shifting the Blame
In New Jersey, damages are reduced by the percentage of fault that can be placed on you after an accident. Insurance adjusters know this and they will often look to pin some or most of the blame back on you in order to reduce their liabilities. They may claim that you were speeding or driving distracted at the time of the crash, simply to avoid paying you the maximum amount of compensation. Even worse, in New Jersey, if the insurance company can prove that you were 51% to blame for the accident, then they owe you nothing.
Delaying Claim
The insurance company knows that you need money now to pay for medical expenses and lost wages and they use this to their advantage. They know that if they delay your claim, they can often get you to settle for less money. As such, they may delay claims unnecessarily by asking for medical testing that is not required or they may claim that they don’t have all the information needed to properly evaluate your case. When delays continue for too long, your best course of action is to speak with an experienced bad faith insurance attorney about filing a lawsuit.
Offering Lowball Settlement
When all else fails, insurance companies will offer accident victims a lowball settlement. This settlement is usually only a fraction of what you are entitled to. They use an aggressive and hard “take it or leave it” negotiating approach in order to trick injured accident victims into accepting far below what they need to recover. Never accept an insurance company’s first offer and never sign any agreement without first speaking to an experienced and skilled attorney.
Has Your Car Accident Claim Been Unfairly Denied?
If your car accident claim has been unfairly denied, you may have a reason to file a bad faith insurance lawsuit. To learn more about your rights, call the Vineland, New Jersey bad faith insurance attorneys at Rosner Law Offices, P.C. today for a free initial consultation and review of your case. Contact us at (856) 502-1655 or fill out our confidential contact form and someone will call you back immediately. Our office is conveniently located in Vineland, New Jersey and we are ready to help you through this difficult time. Call today!
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