Car accidents are stressful enough to go through, but when you’re dealing with an insurance company that refuses to handle your claim properly, it can make the experience even more frustrating and difficult to resolve efficiently. Accident victims do not deserve to be treated unfairly by insurance companies, but it happens to many claimants. Unfortunately, it is common for disputes raised by insurance companies to occur. Some common insurance disputes that you may experience as a car accident victim are described below.
Denial of your claim despite coverage
If you have an insurance policy that has a decent amount of coverage, you may be thinking that your claim will be processed smoothly. However, sometimes insurance companies will come up with excuses or issues anyway despite having extensive coverage. They may argue that for certain types of accidents or claims, the insurance policy will not cover it. For example, if your claim includes emotional distress or pain and suffering, the insurance company may not want to compensate you for those damages.
Reduced value of medical services
Another common dispute insurance companies have concerns the value of medical services for accident victims. As a Springfield car accident lawyer like one at Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols knows, it is common for insurance companies to undervalue certain medical services. They may avoid paying for the total medical expenses because they believe that they are not obligated to pay the full amount. This is especially common for car accident victims who have had multiple injuries.
Refusal to pay at all
Too often car accident victims will get insufficient payment from insurance companies for a variety of reasons. Even accident victims who have suffered extensive losses and suffered major injuries may get approached with an amount that does not completely cover their expenses. The insurance company might argue that a victim did not deserve payment if you have a delay in treatment. Another argument they may have is that they do not need to pay all of the medical expenses because some injuries were pre-existing.
Your are blamed for causing the accident
In some cases, car accident victims are directly blamed for causing the accident. The insurance company might try to get out of making any payments at all. This is common even for cases where it is clear and straightforward who the liable parties are. While liability laws do vary from state to state, insurance companies will often find any opportunity to shift the blame on the victim when they believe they can get away with it.
Delaying urgent action
Insurance companies do whatever they can to avoid having to lose their profits. If a car accident victim files a claim, they may first try to avoid having to process the claim in the first place. Sometimes insurance adjusters or representatives will say that they are taking steps to process a claim quickly, but in reality they are taking their time so that the car accident gives up or just decides to take a low settlement offer.
There are many issues that you can run into with insurance companies if you have been injured in a car accident. Contact a qualified car accident lawyer you can depend on if you need personalized legal assistance.