Many questions buzz around the heads of those recently involved in car accidents. Will I be considered liable for the accident? How will I get to work without a car? Will I lose my job? How will I pay for all of the medical bills? While considering the answers to these questions and more, many people are called up by an insurance company implicated in the crash.
These calls are oftentimes filled with deception and trickery, propelled by the goal to provide the least amount of compensation possible to victims of an accident. It is critical that you know these in order to avoid falling for common traps set up by insurance companies. In addition to having this knowledge on hand, ensure that you have a Los Angeles car accident attorney by your side to help guide you through the process of securing compensation for your losses.
Informing You That Contracting An Attorney is Not Advisable
One of the very first things an insurance company may try to tell you is that it is not advisable to contact an attorney. While there is absolutely no substantiated truth to this statement, the insurance company representative may attempt to convince you that legal counsel is not advised for an array of financial and bureaucratic reasons.
The issue with this is that it is incredibly deceptive as it is simply a tactic used by the company to avoid having to pay out more money than they would like to you. They recognize that a legal team may be able to secure additional, critical compensation to cover your losses and hope to convince you to take their initially offered sum.
Requesting Permission to See Medical Records
Insurance companies may try to look for prior injuries or pre-existing conditions that you may have in order to deny you the financial compensation that you are entitled to after a car accident. This is usually asked in a way that promotes their ability to properly assess how much money they need to give to you. In reality, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) affords you complete privacy in regard to your medical records.
Lying About the Amount or Type of Coverage Available
One of the most common ways that insurance companies attempt to dodge reasonable payouts is a misrepresentation of the amount or type of insurance coverage available to you. They may attempt to deny your claim or refuse coverage. While this is sometimes legal, it must be included in the policy that was initially available to you and the other driver(s) involved in the accident. It may require a lawyer experienced in car accident law to properly determine and fight for the coverages that you are entitled to.
Requesting an Independent Medical Exam (IME)
Another quite common way that insurance companies may try to deny you coverage is by requesting an Independent Medical Exam or IME. It is the hope of the insurance company that you will subject yourself to this examination and be seen by a doctor that is directly contracted by them. In most cases, this physician is paid large lumps of money to purposely underestimate or misrepresent your injuries – leading to less overall compensation that can be easily defended in a court of law.
Where to Go When an Insurance Company Tries to Deceive You in Riverside
An insurance company may be one of the first entities to reach out to you following an accident. In nearly every case, their representatives are trying to trick you into receiving the least amount of compensation available to save money on their end. While it may make sense for their business model, this is valuable money that could be used for your medical expenses, loss of income, pain, suffering, and much more.
Your principal concern after experiencing a car accident should be reaching out to a Riverside car accident attorney at the Law Offices of Howard Kornberg to avoid deception and increase your chances for substantial compensation. Click here or call us today at 310-997-0904 for a free consultation.
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