Getting hurt in a crash leaves victims facing costs for injuries, lost income, and uncertainty. Contacting the at-fault driver’s insurer to start a claim is the logical first step toward getting repaid for financial losses and hardships. However, insurance companies frequently do not reply to phone calls or claim applications. Their lack of response is often planned as a tactic to limit payouts.
Buckhead Law Saxton Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C. can help you deal with this problem. The firm, headed by attorney Dan Saxton, has been helping accident victims for the past 40 years. Buckhead Law Saxton Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C. is one of the very few law firms that offers both free consultations and contingency fee arrangements for all personal injury cases.
Below are some reasons why insurance companies don’t respond after accidents.
Hoping Victims Accept Low Settlements
By not responding, insurers want to stress victims into urgently needing money to get by. If insurers wait, people hurt in crashes will likely be desperate and agree to take too low of a quick settlement payoff.
Though it means paying out less on some claims, insurers gamble what they save in the short run, making up for eventually paying out more on a few other cases later on after a lawsuit gets filed. Experienced lawyers know these tactics come from insurers trying to underpay injured victims.
Questioning If Injuries Relate to Accidents
Insurers also doubt if reported injuries were caused directly as a result of the crash. By stonewalling victim claim applications for a significant period after collisions, certain natural health issues or existing ailments get measured against accident-related harm claims later.
Insurers will then try to argue forany injuries that stem from other factors. Delaying interactions is an underhanded plan for insurers seeking evidence to contest injury claims. For this reason, it’s essential to document incidents and injuries. Here’s what you should do.
- Take photos at the accident scene showing damage and hazards
- Get police reports attributing faults filed at crash sites
- Collect doctor examination records and scans confirming trauma
- Record impact demonstrations showing mobility loss
Thoroughly documenting incidents immediately helps dispute doubt over the link between collisions and resulting health/property harms.
Pursuing Withdrawals of Existing Claims
In addition, insurers are aware that, over long enough durations, crash-wounded victims eventually heal and move forward with life as much as possible. Initial claim requests submitted shortly after collisions reflect an urgent need.
In contrast, overdue claim forms and calls to finally settle up months, even years later, come across as less pressing or impactful from people seemingly recovered. Insurers allege exaggerated, fraudulent requests merit ignoring until applicants get exhausted pursuing help and give up entirely. Here are some examples of delayed timelines:
- Days turn to weeks without claim filing confirmation
- Months pass without status calls or updates
- Years elapse before settlement offers may emerge
Crash victims report insurers ignoring claims for ridiculous stretched-out periods until applicants surrender.
Wanting to Avoid Accepting Fault
Insurers may also avoid investigating the risk factors affecting crash severity out of fear that it could represent admitting to partial fault or accountability. Such material is later used by skilled attorneys as definitive proof of negligence in court. So, stalling formal transparency of documentation potentially related to liability aids insurers in wanting to dispute claims.
Pursuing Legal Options
Even with delays or avoidance, victims maintain every right to compensation for the hardships suffered. Experienced personal injury attorneys level the playing field to neutralize unfair stalling ploys by insurance adjusters. They can compel claim settlements using the following strategies:
- Drafting official demand letters establishing overdue losses
- Legal filings initiating formal recovery and disputing processes
- Court-ordered evidence submissions from at-fault parties
Skilled lawyers can gather the proof needed to show insurance companies are at fault and responsible for paying victims’ claim compensation.