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After a car accident, you will likely have to deal with an insurance company. It’s important to remember that the negligent driver’s insurance company does not have your best interests in mind and they’ll use many tactics to reduce, deny, or delay your claim. For this reason, it’s important to follow the below tips when dealing with any insurance company.
Be Wary of Signing Anything
Insurance companies will have a lot of documents for you to sign. It’s important to understand that you aren’t under any legal obligation to sign them. These documents may include a settlement offer that’s far too low and won’t cover the cost of your injuries, or they could include a medical release form. A medical release form allows the insurance company to comb through your medical records so they can blame a pre-existing condition, and not the accident, for your injuries.
Be Careful of What You Say
The insurance company will use whatever you say against you. Due to this, it’s important to always be careful of what you say. Do not say anything that could be misconstrued as accepting blame for the accident. The insurance company is already trying to prove that you’re own negligence contributed to the crash so they can offer you a much lower settlement, or deny your claim altogether.
Decide if You Want to Use a Preferred Mechanic
The insurance company likely has a list of mechanics that they prefer. If you want to use another repair shop, you may have to negotiate a lower settlement with the insurance company because they won’t want to cover those costs. However, this could still work to your advantage because the insurance company’s preferred mechanics may be cheaper, and not perform the quality work.
Understand the Claims Process
Insurance adjusters and companies know the claims process inside out. This is to their advantage, as they will also know how to work it to pay you the smallest settlement possible. As such, it’s also important for you to understand the claims process just as well. This will make it harder for the insurance companies to get away with their tactics, so you get the settlement you deserve.
Get the Help of a Pennsylvania Personal Injury Attorney
There are certainly many tactics an insurance company will use against you so they can get away with paying you as little as possible. To ensure they don’t work and that you get the full amount of compensation you deserve, you need the help of a Philadelphia personal injury attorney. At van der Veen, Hartshorn & Levin, we fully understand the claims process and have the experience necessary to hold insurance companies liable for paying the settlement you deserve. Call us today at (215) 610-3440 to schedule your free consultation.
