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Virginia law allows car accident victims who are injured because of another driver’s negligence to pursue damages against that driver for the losses their injuries have caused them. In most cases, the claim or lawsuit is filed against the at-fault driver’s automobile insurance policy, and that insurance company is supposed to pay the victim the financial compensation they are entitled to.
Unfortunately, this process is seldom an easy one, since most insurance companies do not like paying victims the full amount of compensation they deserve. This is because any claims paid out cuts into the insurance company’s profit. Keeping this in mind, it should be of no surprise that insurance companies will do all they can to deny or try to undervalue a victim’s car accident claim. This is why all car accident victims should contact a Virginia car accident attorney and let them deal with the insurance company for them.
Insurance claim adjusters are trained to look for any possible angle that they could use to justify denying a victim their full compensation amount. Some of the more common tactics they use include the following:
- Use the victim’s own words against them. This is why victims should never speak to an insurance adjuster without the advice of their attorney. Adjusters are also trained to manipulate conversations to get people to say things that they really don’t mean to say, such as apologizing for an accident that isn’t their fault. All of these conversations are recorded so anything said can be used as evidence against the victim.
- Try to blame the victim for the accident. The insurance company will conduct its own investigation into the accident. It is not uncommon for the company to then try to blame the victim for the crash instead of their client, the actual at-fault driver.
- Claim there is a lack of evidence. If the company cannot outright blame the victim, they may try to say there is not enough evidence to conclusively determine who the at-fault driver was.
- Question the validity of the victim’s injury. Insurance companies look for any reason to question the validity of the victim’s injuries. They may even accuse the victim of faking their injury or faking the extent of the injury. If there was a delay between the accident and the victim seeking medical treatment, they may try to claim that the injury occurred at a later date and the victim is lying.
- Offer a low-ball settlement amount. If the insurance company cannot come up with a way to legally deny a victim’s claim, they often turn to the tactic of offering the victim a settlement that does not even come close to what the losses the injuries have caused. The company may even try pressuring the victim by coming up with a false date that the offer will expire on.
Let Our Firm Help
If you or a loved one has suffered injuries as a result of another party’s negligent or reckless actions, contact a Virginia personal injury attorney from Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp. Do not speak with the other driver’s insurance company before contacting our firm, otherwise, your claim could be jeopardized.
It is also important to remember that Virginia has placed a statute of limitations on how long victims have to file a claim for damages against those responsible for their injuries, so do not delay. Failure to file before that legal deadline could mean you lose any chance of ever filing your claim or getting justice against the person responsible for you or your loved one’s injuries.
Contact our office today at (833) 997-1774 to set up a free and confidential case evaluation with one of our dedicated Virginia accident attorneys. You may be entitled to financial compensation for medical expenses, loss of income, pain and suffering, emotional anguish, permanent disability, scarring, and disfigurement. Call our office to find out how we can help.
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