Being involved in a Daytona Beach car accident is something that can impact and disrupt your life in many ways. Sometimes, injuries require ongoing medical care, and they can leave you unable to return to work.
If the incident was caused by another party’s negligence, it’s possible to file a personal injury lawsuit to receive compensation. However, this process is usually not as cut and dry as it should be. Because of that, it’s wise to get in touch with our personal injury lawyers at Zimmet & Zimmet Lawyers for help with the claim.
The fact is insurance companies will use an array of tactics to encourage you to settle for less than you deserve. Having an attorney by your side and representing your best interests will help you get the maximum amount of compensation possible for your injuries and losses.
Related Article: Can I Still Sue If I Am Injured In A Florida Auto Accident With No Insurance?
Also, knowing what these tactics are can help you avoid giving in.
1. Trying to Purposefully Delay the Process
This is a common tactic used by insurance companies. They will fail to get back to you via phone or email and when you do talk to someone, they will likely use legal jargon you don’t understand and request that you fill out even more paperwork.
They may also tell you that the claims process “takes time.”
There are two main reasons that insurance adjusters will “drag their feet.” The insurance company hopes that:
- You will get stressed and settle for less or give up.
- They wait long enough for bill collectors to begin calling you so that you are pressured to accept any settlement offer made.
In both situations, the goal is to manipulate you into accepting less money than you really deserve.
2. Making a Lowball Offer
When an insurance company sees that you don’t have legal representation (and sometimes even when you do), they will make a settlement offer that is much less than what your personal injury claim is worth.
Therefore, most experts will tell you it’s not a good idea to accept a first or even second offer from the insurance company. The goal of these lowball offers is to get you to settle your case for much less than you deserve. Once you accept a settlement there are no “takebacks,” which is why having personal injury lawyers represent you to ensure you get a fair offer is so important.
3. Insurance Adjusters Who Pretend to Care
This is a common tactic because of how effective it can be. Insurance adjusters or agents will call you to “check on you” and may even show concern and empathy for your situation. However, you should always remember that this isn’t a casual conversation.
While they may try to act like they truly care, this is only to get you to trust them. After gaining your trust, the adjuster will begin asking questions to try to get you to make a statement they can use against you to reduce your settlement offer or deny it completely.
Related Article: What Is PIP Insurance?
4. Requesting Excessive Medical Authorizations
In some situations, an insurance company will request you to sign excessive medical authorizations. This is just another delay tactic that is used, and, in many cases, the authorizations request various medical documentation that is completely irrelevant to the case. In some cases, the insurance company (or the other party’s attorney) will obtain the records requested on their own with a subpoena approved by the court.
5. Discouraging You from Getting in Touch with Personal Injury Lawyers
If an insurance adjuster or agent is trying to keep you from contacting personal injury lawyers, they may say things like:
- It’s only going to delay the settlement process.
- You have a simple case.
- An attorney is going to charge you more fees.
- We are going to work with you.
Be wary of these statements. Insurance companies want to negotiate directly with you. That’s because they believe they can convince you to accept a lower settlement. They also know when you hire personal injury lawyers, the settlement amount will be much higher.
Get in Touch with Our Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Negotiating Your Settlement
Negotiating an insurance settlement can be a challenging process. While this is true, working with our personal injury lawyers at Zimmet & Zimmet Lawyers will help take some of the stress and confusion out of the situation. You can count on our legal team to help you recover the compensation you deserve for your injury and losses. The first step is to get in touch to schedule a free consultation.
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