When you’re buying an insurance policy, your agent tells you the insurance company will be there to protect and help you if you’re injured. They convince you that you are the company’s priority. In fact, insurance companies are businesses, and like most businesses, their main focus is maximizing profits. To accomplish this, insurance companies, their adjusters, and their attorneys aim to pay as little as possible for personal injury claims.
Since insurance company representatives are looking out for the best interest of the insurance company, rather than looking out for you, it is never a good idea for you to work directly with them. You should level the playing field and be represented by a personal injury attorney.
How Do Insurance Companies Decrease the Amount They Have to Pay to Victims of a Personal Injury Accident?
When you’re injured, the insurance company for the driver at-fault assigns an insurance adjuster to investigate your claim. While doing this, the adjuster, even if he or she works for your own insurance company, is representing the insurance company, not you. The adjuster’s main motivation is to save the insurance company money. His or her goal is the polar opposite of your goal, which is to be fairly compensated. Insurance companies train their adjusters in tactics that work against injured accident victims thus minimizing the amount insurance companies need to pay the victims.
Two key tactics insurance companies use against personal injury accident victims are:
- Recorded statements –Insurance adjusters approach injured accident victims immediately to get a recorded statement. Adjusters do this quickly because they know once the victim consults a personal injury attorney, the attorney will advise the victim against giving any recorded statement. Adjusters are trained to ask vague and sometimes misleading questions that often lead to responses that can be misunderstood or misinterpreted later in the case. This can hurt the victim’s chances of obtaining the appropriate compensation for injuries incurred. You should NEVER EVER give a recorded statement to the at-fault person’s insurance company.
- Medical releases –Adjusters commonly ask personal injury accident victims to sign an authorization for the release of their medical records so the adjuster can verify the severity injuries incurred. Many adjusters; however, have the victim sign a blanket medical release thereby opening all the victim’s medical records for review, not just those related to the accident. The adjusters then comb through the medical records looking for past medical conditions they can allege either caused or contributed to the severity of the injuries the victim sustained in the accident. This is one of the most outrageous and yet effective tactics the insurance companies use to deny or minimize compensation payments to personal injury accident victims – using a victim’s pre-existing medical condition against them. You should NOT sign an Authorization to Release Medical Records…..EVER! When you are pushed to do so, it is a sure sign you need to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney.
Contact an Experienced Long Beach Personal Injury Attorney for More Information
My law practice exclusively represents personal injury victims and does so with a deep understanding of their suffering and an absolute commitment to their recovery. I take your injuries personally, and that is why I directly handle all aspects of every case to ensure that you receive maximum compensation.
Call the Law Office of Michael D. Waks at 888-394-1174 or use the convenient online contact form to schedule a free consultation. You are under no obligation and you will never pay any money unless you recover damages for your injuries. I offer bilingual services as part of my comprehensive approach to legal representation and I am available 24/7 to talk to you about your case.
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