Following a catastrophic accident, you hope to get insurance payouts you can use for your medical bills and other expenses and to support your family’s needs until you can go to work again. However, even if you have a valid personal injury claim, the insurance company may still deny it.
Insurance providers want to settle claims for as little money as possible. Thus, they will do whatever they can to avoid paying the compensation you deserve. But you can counter whatever tactics they may use if you have a Vermont personal injury lawyer handling your case. The following are ways insurance providers will undercut your personal injury claim following a major accident that left you injured:
Insisting that You are Responsible for the Accident
In Vermont, the party responsible for causing an accident should cover the damages sustained by the victim. So, the insurance company of the at-fault party will try to assert that you caused the accident or were partly responsible for it to reduce or deny your claim.
As you deal with an insurer, you must prove you were not responsible for the accident. This way, the insurer cannot deny your claim.
Requiring You to Provide More Evidence
Before an insurer will approve your claim, it will examine the evidence available in your case. The company may claim you have not provided it with enough proof of the accident and your injury. Thus, you and your attorney must collect as much evidence as possible, including medical records, police reports, and witness statements, to prove your case and eradicate the chances of a denial.
Offering a Speedy Settlement
The insurance company may take advantage of your vulnerable situation by making a low-ball settlement offer. They hope that you may take the money since you are out of work while your medical bills are piling up. However, accepting an early settlement offer from the insurance company will mean giving up your right to additional compensation when your condition gets worse and you need ongoing treatment. In the days after the accident, you may still not know how seriously your injury will affect you and your life. You probably haven’t figured out how much your total medical expenses might be.
Not Taking Prompt Action on Your Claim
The insurer may presume you have financial challenges following an injury. It may not process your claim immediately until you want to take any settlement offer that it may make. The company may say it needs more time to conduct investigations into what occurred. However, this is something the company may not do if a personal injury attorney is advocating for you.
