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ToggleExperiencing the aftermath of a car accident can feel like one of the most challenging moments in your life. It’s essential to gather your thoughts and assess if you’ve incurred any injuries. Additionally, you should check on your passengers to determine if they were affected by the collision.
After a car accident, having legal representation is vital, particularly if your vehicle has been rendered a total loss. Regardless of whether you were at fault, having a lawyer who understands these circumstances can be invaluable. They will advocate for you if you need to go to court, whether as the defendant or the plaintiff in a lawsuit.
It’s also important to recognize that your insurance company, along with the other driver’s, will become involved in the aftermath of a car accident. You should inform your insurance company about the incident at your earliest convenience. Additionally, you may need to converse with a representative from the other driver’s insurance provider.
One might hope that these insurance companies are solely focused on assisting you post-accident. Unfortunately, this is often not the reality. Let’s delve into the reason behind this.
Insurance Companies Operate for Profit
The primary goal of an insurance company is to provide coverage to its customers, but it also aims to generate profits. It’s not like a charitable organization or a community service initiative. A company will approve a claim only when it feels there’s no alternative. Therefore, don’t be shocked if an insurance company tries to evade paying a claim if they believe they can succeed in doing so.
Keeping more funds means greater profits for the insurance company. Higher bonuses are often seen by top executives when this occurs. Understanding this context makes it clear why some insurance companies may delay claim payouts after an accident or refuse to pay claims altogether.
Strategies Employed by Insurance Companies Following Car Accidents
Imagine a situation for a moment. While driving one day, another vehicle suddenly crashes into yours. You are convinced that the other driver is to blame for the incident.
When the police arrive, you provide them with your account of what happened. After that, you go to the hospital for a check-up and arrange for a tow truck to take your damaged vehicle to a garage. Once home, you receive a call from the insurance provider of the other driver.
During this call, the insurance company representative may request that you share your perspective on the accident. Be aware that conversations with an insurance agent are typically recorded. This recording is done in anticipation that you might inadvertently say something they can later use to dispute your claim.
If you reside in an at-fault state, wherein the motorist responsible for the accident’s insurance is liable for damages, the representative calling you might try to coax you into implying that you bear full or partial responsibility for the crash. If they manage to capture such a statement during a recorded call, they can leverage it in court if they refuse to honor your claim and you decide to sue them.
Is This Approach Effective?
As improbable as it seems, this strategy does yield results sometimes. Even when you’re convinced that the other driver caused the crash, you might still be in shock. After surviving a distressing car accident, your thought process might not be as clear as it usually is.This is known by the agent of the insurance company, and they may try to exploit your vulnerable emotional state. They could say nearly anything to provoke you into making a statement that raises doubts about who was actually responsible for the accident. On the phone, they might even resort to bullying tactics to coax you into saying something along those lines. The most unscrupulous among them may attempt to pressure you into admitting fault in any way possible.
You Are Not Obligated to Speak with the Driver’s Insurance Company
Insurance companies are aware that if they can manage to get you on the phone and start discussing the accident, the longer the conversation goes on, the greater the chances are that you’ll say something they might use against you. Nonetheless, many drivers are unaware that there is no legal requirement to communicate with the other driver’s insurance company via phone.
If they reach out, you have the option not to respond, and if you do pick up, you are not obliged to answer their questions. Should you feel that the other driver’s insurance company may resort to dishonest practices, it is advisable to enlist a lawyer who can manage these interactions for you.
Your lawyer can communicate with the insurance company on your behalf. They won’t be easily intimidated by the tactics employed by the insurance company’s agents. They are well-versed in the law and will not tolerate coercive pressure tactics.
If you are being contacted by the other driver’s insurance company and you suspect they are not acting in your best interest, seeking legal representation is a wise decision. The urgency of hiring a car crash attorney increases significantly if the accident has caused severe injuries to you, resulted in fatalities among your passengers, or completely damaged your vehicle.
In such circumstances, the other driver’s attorney understands that you might pursue legal action against them. They may attempt to push you into accepting a lesser settlement than what you could potentially receive if you were to file a lawsuit and the jury rules in your favor.
Do not allow the other driver’s insurance company to bully or intimidate you. Find a car accident attorney experienced in these types of cases and appoint them as your representative. They will advocate for your best interests, and you’ll need their support because you can be sure that the other driver’s insurance company will not provide it.