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It may seem like it is the insurance company’s job to pay you fairly for your accident injuries, but insurance companies have another responsibility that interferes with your fair insurance recovery. The top priority of an insurance company is to make money, and one of the ways that an insurance company can maximize its profits is to pay you as little as you will accept for your accident injuries.
How the Insurance Company Will Try to Pay You Less Than You Deserve
Every insurance company and insurance agent is different. However, many insurers have common tricks up their sleeves that could interfere with your fair settlement. For example, insurers may:
- Claim to be on your side. The insurance agent may assure you that the company has no greater interest than seeing that you are treated fairly. The insurance agent may appear friendly and helpful. Unfortunately, this isn’t true, and it may make you believe that you can trust the insurance agent to look out for your interests.
- Tell you not to hire an attorney because a settlement can be reached. What you aren’t being told is that the settlement may be significantly higher if a lawyer represents you.
- Pressure you to make a quick settlement. You may be told that you will get your recovery much faster if you agree to the insurance company’s initial offer, and that is true, but what you are not told is that this is your only settlement for your accident injuries. You may get a much larger settlement if you wait and have more evidence before you settle.
- Ask you for a recorded statement. Anything that you say in a recorded statement may be taken out of context and used against you.
- Ask for your complete medical records. While insurance companies need some of your medical records to make a settlement, they may not need your complete medical records. The insurance company may misconstrue something in your medical history to claim that your injuries were not due to the crash but instead were caused by a pre-existing condition. You should speak with a lawyer before signing any medical record authorization.
- Watch you closely. Insurers may use detectives to watch you when you come out of your home to try to catch you doing something inconsistent with the injuries you claim.
- Stalk your social media. Insurers may watch all of your accounts closely for the same reasons they use detectives for surveillance.
- Argue that you aren’t as hurt as you claim. The insurance company may try to argue that your injuries aren’t so bad and that, therefore, you should get a smaller settlement.
- Misrepresent the insurance coverage. The insurer may try to convince you that the insurance coverage is less than it really is in an attempt to get you to agree to a lower settlement.
- Deny coverage by claiming the insured didn’t cause the crash. Instead, the insurance company will argue that someone they do not insure caused the accident, which resulted in your injuries.
Don’t let one or more of these tricks prevent you from getting the recovery you deserve.
Contact an Illinois Car Accident Lawyer Today
Unlike insurance agents who are loyal to their employers and the shareholders, your car accident lawyer is loyal to you. It is your attorney’s job to advocate for your best possible car accident recovery.
Insurance companies know that the experienced Illinois car accident lawyers of Hupy and Abraham mean business. For more than 50 years, we have been representing people throughout the Midwest and fighting for their full and fair recoveries. Insurers know that we will not hesitate to go to trial if the insurance company is unwilling to provide a fair settlement and few insurance companies want to take that financial risk.
It won’t cost you anything to work with our experienced attorneys. Call us today to schedule a free consultation in any of our Illinois offices and to learn about our Win or It’s Free Guarantee. If you can’t come meet us in our Bloomington, Gurnee, or Rockford offices, then we will come to your home or hospital room to meet you.
