After a serious traffic collision, you may need coverage for various losses. Sadly, insurance companies often take advantage of injured victims to avoid paying the amount they deserve. Insurers are skilled at limiting their payouts and use various tactics against unrepresented people who do not fully understand their rights.
As such, it is crucial to get legal help when dealing with insurance companies after an Elsmere car crash. At Doroshow, Pasquale, Krawitz, and Bhaya, our skilled attorneys deal with these sorts of cases every day and can serve as valuable advocates throughout the recovery process.
Common Car Insurance Company Tactics
Insurance companies have various tactics they will use with unrepresented people in car collision cases. For one, they may offer several thousand dollars in an attempt to save money if the case is actually worth a lot more. If a victim’s injuries worsen over time, several thousand dollars may be a severe underestimation of the true value of their case.
From years of experience, our car crash attorneys know that it does not make sense to settle a case before a person has finished their treatment and knows the extent of their injuries. It is very difficult to tell how the recovery process will go at the beginning of an injury, so it is important to speak with a lawyer who can advise on settling a case with the insurance companies.
Independent Medical Examinations
Insurance companies may also send an injured victim to an independent medical examination to determine the value of their case. These are run by doctors who make their living giving their medical opinions to insurance companies.
As such, they tend to be more conservative with their diagnoses, limiting a patient’s options for seeking compensation for further treatment. However, a skilled attorney could help challenge those medical findings and fight for the insurance coverage a car crash victim deserves.
Underpaying for Medical Bills
Additionally, Elsmere insurance companies often try to reduce the amount that they pay based on where the doctor is located. Although they are not allowed to make those unilateral decisions under Delaware law, they may still underpay in small amounts. Over time, this adds up.
Any leftover amount should be paid by the insurance company. However, the insurance company may try to get the patient to pay or wait until the doctor’s office bills the patient. Those without legal counsel from a knowledgeable attorney do not understand that these amounts should be covered by car insurance and may end up paying out of pocket.
Insurance Company Statements after a Traffic Collision
Insurance companies may say that they just want to know what happened when taking a recorded statement. However, the truth is that they are trying to lock injured victims into their version of events. For instance, they may ask, “How are you doing?” hoping that the injured victim will say, “I’m fine.” Even a small statement like this could hurt their case when seeking compensation for severe injuries.
After a car wreck, a victim may also be overwhelmed by various burdens in their life. Without dedicated legal representation, they may forget to mention things in their recorded statement or misstate what actually occurred. There are many ways that insurance companies, both of the at-fault driver and the injured victim, will try to limit the amount they owe.
PIP Insurance Laws in Delaware
There are many legal nuances for car crash claims in Delaware, some of which insurance agents may not even be aware of. For instance, in Delaware, all cars must have a minimum of $15,000 of personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. This pays for medical bills and lost wages regardless of who is at fault for a collision.
However, PIP insurance is not reimbursed by the injured party out of their settlement money. The insurance company must wait until the case is settled, and the other insurance pays them back if there is any money left. If there is no remaining liability coverage, there is no reimbursement. Sometimes a liability carrier will include this amount in their settlement, leaving the unrepresented injured party unaware that they have to pay their own insurance company back.
Call an Elsmere Car Crash Attorney for Help with Insurance Companies
Insurance companies have different playbooks for those with lawyers and those without. They know that an attorney can contest many of their tactics and many treat represented car crash victims more fairly in the insurance claims process.
It is important that you have someone on your side that is as knowledgeable as the insurance adjuster you are dealing with. Let the legal team at Doroshow, Pasquale, Krawitz, and Bhaya advise you on dealing with insurance companies after an Elsmere car crash. Give us a call today.
