The injuries suffered in an accident can be severe, impacting everything from your ability to work to the quality of time you get to spend with your loved ones. Fortunately, a successful personal injury claim could lead to the recovery of compensation that can help spur your recovery forward and give you a sense of closure. When you file one of these claims, though, you’ll probably be approached by insurance companies that are looking to settle your case. It might be tempting to quickly snatch up one of these settlement offers, but doing so may not be in your best interests.
This is because insurance companies often try to lowball their settlement offers to avoid paying out large claims. There are several ways in which insurance companies do this. Let’s look at some of their strategies here so that you know what to expect from the process and how to best protect your interests.
How insurance companies try to settle accident claims for less
Insurance companies are strategic in their approach to settling car accident claims. Here are some of the tactics they might implement in your case to try to get you to settle your case for far less than it’s worth:
- Offering a quick settlement: The insurance company will attempt to capitalize on your stress and anxiety by trying to get you to accept a quick but low settlement offer. If you’re eager to resolve your case and secure a fast infusion of cash, then you’re more likely to accept one of these settlement offers, perhaps to your own detriment.
- Arguing over liability: The insurance company will come to the table prepared to blame shift. They might argue that you contributed to the accident in some fashion, or they may try to put the fault on a third-party, regardless of whether that third-party is named in your claim. Every shred of fault they can push off to someone else could save them significantly in settlement payouts or judgment.
- Minimizing your injuries: The damages that you’re able to recover from your claim will depend on the losses you can demonstrate. The insurance company, then, will attempt to show that your injuries and losses aren’t as severe as you claim them to be. They might use their own medical expert to contest your assertions, or they may argue that you’ve simply failed to mitigate your damages.
- Delaying resolution: The insurance company knows that your money is tight after an accident. By holding out, then, they think you may be more likely to agree to a lower settlement offer.
- Trying to catch you in inconsistencies: There’s a chance that the insurance company will ask you for a recorded statement or that they’ll depose you during the pendency of your legal claim. The goal here is to lock down statements in a way that they can use to attack your case later on. If they’ve caught you in an inconsistency, for example, then they might argue that a jury is unlikely to believe your accusations, so you’re better off accepting a lower settlement amount.
Know how to get the most out of your car accident personal injury case
There’s a lot that goes into building a successful personal injury case. But you have to know how to appropriately navigate the process if you want to protect your interests as fully as possible. So, before fully jumping into your case, it’s a good idea to educate yourself on the law and the steps you can and should take to build a strong, persuasive claim.