How Insurance Companies Get You to Walk Away or Settle for Little Money

So let’s say that you are in an accident, and you make the mistake of trying to represent yourself. You’re pretty business savvy, and maybe even know a little about the law even, so you figure you can handle this yourself.

But the insurance company is way more savvy than you—this is what they do to stay in business: they are experts at denying claims and paying as little as possible to accident victims in need. So, they have developed an entire strategy of dealing with people, to get them to succumb and accept way less than what they should accept as a settlement to their injuries.

Here are some tactics insurance companies use, and ways that they deceive people who are not represented by attorneys into accepting settlements that they shouldn’t accept.

Getting Medical Records – the insurance company will ask for your medical records, but not just the ones related to the accident, They will ask you for all of them, from years in the past. They may even say that they cannot make any offer at all, without these records. They may just have you sign a  blanket medical authorization to make it “easier for you.”

This is just a way of allowing them to look through every medical issue you’ve had in the last ten years, so they can claim that your injuries pre-existed the accident.

Meaningless Defenses – The insurance company will tell you that you should take a very low offer, because of all the fantastic and powerful defenses that they have, which a jury will surely love.

Some of those asserted defenses may have some validity, some may have very little, and others may be completely baseless. Some you may not even know what they are or what they mean.

But, intimidated, you may be inclined to believe them, and they’ll coerce you into setting your claim for way less than what it’s worth.

Statements – They may say that they need a recorded statement from you to evaluate your claim for a settlement, so they can ask you every detail about the accident and your injuries.

But they aren’t your insurance company—they represent the other side, or its insurance company. Despite what they say, you have no legal obligation to give them any type of statement before a lawsuit is filed.

If you do give them a statement, they’ll use it as a chance to get you to admit to things that will harm your case, now or later on down the road in court.

They’ll Go Slow – The insurance company is in no rush to evaluate and settle your case. But you are.

Strapped of cash, and bills mounting up, and out of work, you need compensation now. They know this and will take advantage of you by dragging their feet as slowly as they can. By the time they make you an offer, you’ll be so financially desperate or over the whole thing completely, you’ll be inclined to accept whatever they offer.

You can avoid these problems by having a good injury attorney by your side who knows the insurance company’s tricks.  Call our Boston personal injury lawyers at The Law Office of Joseph Linnehan, Jr. today at 617-275-4200 for help after an accident.