What Tactics Insurance Companies Use to Pay Out Less
Whenever you’re hurt in an accident caused by another party, it’s important to remember that the insurance company is responsible for paying out compensation. In a fault state like Mississippi, this means the liable person’s insurance company is supposed to pay out the money you need for damages you sustain to both your property and person. This specifically includes damages for your vehicle, medical bills, and pain/suffering.
Unfortunately, as insurance companies are still businesses at the end of the day, there’s a strong focus on profits. They are more likely to reduce or deny your claim because they want to save money. They operate under the philosophy of “what is the least amount of money we can pay on this claim to make it go away.” It’s important for you to recognize the various tactics they may try to use to reduce the amount of compensation you can recover.
Recording Statements
Insurance companies will call you soon after your injury to discuss your accident. When they call, you’ll hear the automated message letting you know the call will be recorded for quality and training purposes. While this isn’t completely false, the insurance company isn’t telling you the whole reason for recording the call. The purpose of the statement is to gather information that can be used against you at a later time.
Recorded statements, once you acknowledge that you’re being recorded, can be used as part of your claim. If the insurance company can get multiple statements that contradict each other or remove a portion of your claim, they’ll use this to save money and offer you much less.
Insurance adjusters are trained by attorneys for the insurance company to ask specific questions whose answers could have a significant impact on your ability to recover damages. Never give a recorded statement without an attorney being present.
Delaying a Claim
After an injury, you need compensation. You’re enduring physical pain, unable to work, and have mounting medical bills. Insurance companies know this. As such, they’ll try and find ways to delay your claim in hopes that you’ll settle for a lesser amount than you deserve. Our firm has found creative solutions to minimize the delays in the claims process to put money in your pocket faster.
Denying Liability
Even if the insurance can deny partial liability, they may be able to reduce the amount of compensation they need to pay out. If they’re able to remove all liability from their policyholder, they may try to pay nothing and even counterclaim that you were responsible for the crash.
At Williams Newman Williams, we’re looking out for you. We’re not afraid of large insurance companies, and our Jackson car accident lawyers are quick to advocate for your rights to pursue compensation. We’re here for you and ready to go the extra mile on your behalf.
Call us today at (601) 949-5080 for a free consultation.
