Insurance Tactics To Lowball An Injury Lawsuit 

The allure of quick cash after a personal injury can be hard to resist when there is a pressing need for cash. The amount of money you need might not be a lot, but when you have been involved in an accident, the money is needed quickly. However, looking to settle a case quickly might make insurance companies use the run-around to maybe compensate—if anything at all. 

This is called bad faith tactics, and it works in the best interest of the insurance, not the accident victim.

Understanding Insurance Tactics Used To Minimize Injury Claims

When you are a victim of personal injury, understanding the deceptive tactics employed by insurance companies can break or make your case. And if you want to be in a better position, learn how to protect yourself against them. This is especially true if you want to get a fair share of compensation for the injuries caused by another person’s negligence.

Fair compensation is essential to pay medical expenses and other financial liabilities, and it is your right to receive a reasonable payout in accordance with the law. 

Unfortunately, spotting an insurance tactic right after an accident today is more challenging than you might think because they are in a money-keeping business. They avoid any possible fair payment by employing numerous strategies to limit, deny or devalue the claim—and maximize their profit. These tactics may come in the form of cheerful approaches, demanding medical authorization, downplaying injuries, and more. 

For one thing, insurance companies are getting smarter and have advanced psychological tools and profit at their disposal. But the bigger problem is that insurers come from real companies, and their services are legal.

So how do you recognize these schemes that further victimize you?

This article will discuss some of the most common tactics employed by insurance companies to devalue personal injury claims. So let’s dive into it!

1) The friendly approach after the accident

A major indication that you’re dealing with an insurance tactic is their cheerful approach right after the incident. It is typical for the insurance company of the at-fault party to make conversation with you after an accident. Agents tend to be very friendly and charming to gain the trust and sympathy of accident victims with the intention to collect information they can later use against them. 

Once an agent gets information from you, they will simply use that against you, leaving you to settle as cheaply as possible or none the wiser.

That said, never share any kind of information with them. It is best not to fall into their trap and avoid their calls altogether. 

From this point on, try seeking a respected personal injury attorney to help you with your case moving forward.

2) The demand for medical authorization

Many personal injury claims are notoriously difficult to fight, even if you have an attorney. And one of the essential parts of personal injury claims is medical treatment. The more severe the injury, the more complex the case.

To devalue a settlement claim, insurance agents try to convince victims that they need the details of medical records to verify the injuries and issue payment. However, this invasion of privacy is to gain medical authorization to access your medical history and look for pre-existing injuries. They’ll essentially look for previous injuries to lowball you or deny your claim. 

If the insurance tells you that you must release your medical file, there’s no reason for you to give them those documents. You can simply decline any medical authorization request and simply call a contingency personal injury attorney and give them the responsibility to handle your case—free of charge. A personal injury attorney that works on contingency will only get paid once you win your case. This is convenient for injured victims who can’t afford legal representation. 

Your lawyer will provide the insurance with details of the medical records needed to process your claim, and they will give them access to your medical history only if required.

3) The dismissal of injuries to lowball a claim

This is where your case may get a little murky. In personal injury claims, an accident victim has to get evaluated and receive medical assistance. If you do not seek treatment for the injuries caused, the insurance can simply exploit you. That’s why it is important to follow the treatment prescribed by medical practitioners as a result of your injuries. 

However, even if you receive treatment, no matter how seriously you are injured, the insurance will still argue that your injuries are not severe. If this happens to severely injured people, imagine those with soft tissue injuries. 

No matter your condition, the insurance will go on to say you will recover quickly without the need for more medical treatment. And even if you think you may not have an external injury and take the damage for granted, an internal injury can result in serious ramifications or, even worse, become catastrophic.

If you do not want to get your case devalued, go to the emergency room and take proper treatments.  

4) The exploitation of a victim’s emotional health

As noted above, insurance companies try to get as much information as possible against you and use it to damage your claim. For instance, if an insurance company knows that you are suffering from clinical depression, their agents may employ means to trigger your anxiety and depression. So be cautious.

Emotional triggering tactics to wear you out allow insurance companies to obtain information from you and use it against your best interest. This ultimately results in making the accident your fault to pay you less or zero.

6) The delay of the claim tactic

A common strategy maneuvered by the insurance is delaying personal injury claims. They target victims of personal injury claims that cannot keep up with their financial responsibilities due to the injuries. On average, accident victims have medical bills, piled-up expenses, and the overall struggle to pay their bills. 

Because insurance companies employ delaying tactics to frustrate you during financial distress, they’ll delay the settlement, hoping you become desperate for money and accept an undervalued payment.

Some of these delaying tactics include:

1. Denying fault
2. Taking a long time to provide insurance limits
3. Not communicating back
4. Offering a quick, undervalued-amount settlement
5. Denying the claim

If your settlement is delayed, you may need funding before it settles.

During a personal injury lawsuit, a quick infusion of cash is needed to help deal with the financial burden. To avoid falling victim to deceptive insurance tactics, it’s a good idea to step back and speak to your attorney. Falling prey to insurance companies’ tactics will only protect their interests and risk yours. 

Remember, information and education are a personal injury victim’s best friends when looking for justice through a legal battle against those who did them wrong.

If you have a pending personal injury claim, an attorney, and the insurance company is delaying your settlement, you can potentially get an advance on your case, so you don’t settle for unfair compensation.

If you need cash to pay your bills or get by, apply for lawsuit funding with Baker Street Funding to receive pre-settlement funding at any stage of your case.

Pre-settlement funding is non-recourse, meaning you won’t be responsible for paying it back if you lose your case. Our lawsuit loan rates go from 2.95% to 3.4% non-compounding per month. We also offer capped rates that protect you from getting predated on paying more interest after 2-3 years from your loan.

You can use the funding as financial assistance to pay your financial liabilities until you receive fair and reasonable compensation mandated by law.

Apply for a lawsuit loan in just a few minutes—with no strings attached.