If you have been in an accident and want to maximize your personal injury settlement, you need to be aware of the tactics insurance companies use to discredit claims. Insurance companies aren’t your friend and are notorious for trying to find loopholes to deny personal injury claims. To avoid falling victim to one of these insurance company tactics, you should work closely with a personal injury attorney in New York when you file your claim.
Quick Settlement Offers Are Not Always Fair
When filing a personal injury claim in New York, it’s incredibly tempting to accept a quick settlement offer. However, early offers are usually the least beneficial and don’t fully encompass everything you are entitled to.
Insurance companies often use quick settlement offers to quickly settle claims before you have a clearer idea of what you’re entitled to.
To avoid running into this issue, one of the first steps you should take is to hire a personal injury attorney in New York to represent you. An attorney will negotiate on your behalf, ensuring that you don’t accept the first offer that comes along.
Social Media Can Impact Compensation
A common insurance company tactic is to look at your online activity for any contradictory information. Social media, for example, has become an outlet insurance companies use to try to undervalue your claim. For example, social media posts could provide contradictory information regarding the extent of your injuries.
That is why it is always best to reduce your social media usage, or at the very least, avoid posting about your injuries or the accident until your claim is closed.
Recorded Statements Can Hurt Your Case
You should never provide a statement to an insurance company unless you have your personal injury lawyer present. Insurance companies often use recorded statements as a way of trying to damage your credibility by showing inconsistencies.
This is why it is recommended that you do not communicate with insurance companies at all; instead, leave this to your attorney.
Medical Treatment is Often a Dealbreaker
The most important evidence in your personal injury claim is your medical documentation. This is also something that insurance companies may try to use in order to undermine the severity of your injuries.
Insurance companies will look for things like gaps in medical treatment, delayed medical treatment, or prior injuries.
Get In Touch With a Personal Injury Attorney in New York
Being injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault is already difficult enough, but then you also have to deal with insurance company tactics. To avoid having your insurance company claim denied, you need to understand what strategies insurance companies use so that you can get the best settlement possible.
Also, instead of trying to negotiate your injury settlement on your own, it’s always best to get the help of a personal injury attorney so that you aren’t dealing with insurance adjusters on your own.
If you are ready to file your personal injury insurance claim, contact us today at Gash & Associates, P.C., in New York at 914-328-8800 for a free consultation.
