Insurance companies are not your friends, no matter what. Their only interest is to save money. This is often done by lying to you.
Insurance companies will contact you immediately and ask you to answer questions they have recorded. No matter what they say, you should not agree to this! Even if you’re being truthful and think you are cooperating, anything you say can cause you harm.
An attorney may not be necessary for every case. This is more likely now that I have provided the information you need.
It is important to take your time and understand that many attorneys will take your calls and answer all your questions. The consultation is free of charge by an attorney. If you feel that you require assistance, an attorney will again not charge you for the consultation. However, contingency fees will apply. The likelihood of you needing an attorney increases the more serious you are injured.
Because insurance companies know that hiring an attorney will result in more money than negotiating with them, they will never tell you to do so.
Insurance companies won’t tell you that many of their claims adjusters and negotiators are attorneys.
Insurance companies will always try to make you pay less so they won’t allow you to hire an attorney. It doesn’t cost anything upfront to hire an attorney. In the end, however, you get more by using the lawyer.
They will immediately call you and promise everything, even fixing your car.
You may not be told that they will only do this if you also agree to accept a small amount of money (e.g. $500 or $1000) as a settlement for your injury. They won’t tell you that many people are injured and require more than $500 to $1000 in medical treatment.
They may not inform you that they only cover storage for a few days and that it is up to you to remove your vehicle from storage. You may find yourself in a difficult financial situation if you fail to do so.
You may not be told by them that you can rent a car while your vehicle is being repaired.
You may not be told that you will pay $20-$25.00 per day to rent a car to replace your vehicle. You will have to pay the difference if you rent a car first, and then go back and rent another one.
You may not be told by them that they won’t pay for the Physical Damage Waiver or “extra” insurance on your car rental if you have auto insurance. If you have insurance on the car that was damaged, the Physical Damage Waiver and the “insurance” do not apply. If you cause an accident with the rental car, your insurance will cover it.
You may not be told by them that they may use older parts to repair your car.
You may not be told that your car will be declared total loss if it has been damaged or has had excessive mileage. You may also not be told that they won’t increase the value or pay you more even if your car has recently been repainted or had new tires.
They might not be able to tell you that they won’t pay all the bills. They will compare the bill with what other doctors are charging for similar services to determine if the standard is “reasonable” and “customary”. They may not inform you that they may ask for a doctor or another service to review your bill to determine if medical services were required. They might not inform you that they pay for the services and doctors. This is because they believe that the services and doctors will tell you what they think is best.
You may not be told by them that they will “allow” you to receive treatment for a certain time period, such as six week. You may not be told that they limit your treatment because they believe you will get better within that time frame. Again, their belief is based on the advice of doctors on their payroll.
Insurance companies won’t tell you that, if you sign a general release, in addition to receiving your medical records from your physician relating to this accident and prior medical records, they will also obtain your medical records. This is done to determine if there are any injuries or problems that are similar to your current ones. If so, they will use the prior information to lower the amount they pay you. They will argue that the accident didn’t cause your current problem. They will argue that the accident did not cause your current problem.
Insurance companies won’t tell you that they will access a national computer database to check if you have ever filed a claim for injury. This applies to car accidents, work injuries, and slip and falls accidents in which you have filed a legal claim. They won’t tell you that they may find something to help you with your current problems.
Before they pay you for income loss or lost wages, insurance companies won’t tell you what documentation they need. They won’t tell you that they require paystubs, tax returns, letters from your employer proving your absence from work, or a certificate from your doctor stating your inability to work.
Even if you provide all the documentation, insurance companies may still not pay all your wages and losses. They won’t tell you they aren’t paying because they have the opinion. Because they are paid for the opinion, they won’t tell you that they have it.
This information has been provided to assist people who have been in an automobile accident. It also helps them understand what the insurance industry is offering. While I am aware that there may be exceptions to the information I have provided, I assure you that these exceptions are very rare. The more serious the collision is, the more likely an insurance company will be reasonable. The scary part is that I often only touch the tip of the iceberg. Insurance companies are not your friend.
