Car crashes occur every day throughout the greater Las Vegas area. Those affected by such crashes who are not actually responsible for them usually expect to file a simple insurance claim to repair their vehicle, cover their hospital bills and pay for basic cost of living expenses as a replacement for their lost wages.
Unfortunately, insurance companies aren’t always enthusiastic about their obligation to pay those affected by collisions. Sometimes, insurance professionals specifically engage in actions that frustrate those making claims. These are some of the questionable or inappropriate ways that insurance companies commonly respond to car crash claims.
They take too long to respond or pay
Nevada is one of many states that impose statutory limits on insurance claims. Companies have to respond to people after the initial claim submission, make a formal determination and pay the final settlement in accordance with a specific timeline established by state statutes. However, delaying payouts is a way for the company to retain resources for longer and possibly frustrate someone into giving up entirely. Insurance professionals may therefore seek to limit or eliminate claims by delaying their response or payout to a valid claim.
They try to blame the claimant
Some insurance professionals will look for any excuse to lay responsibility for a crash on the party negatively affected by the collision. They may ask someone to make a recorded statement and then ask a bunch of leading questions in the hopes that they will somehow contradict or implicate themselves. They can also try pointing to someone’s apology or their prior driving record as proof that they are probably responsible even though the police officer or other witnesses clearly stated that the policyholder, not the claimant, was the one who caused the crash.
They offer inappropriately low settlements
The amount of compensation available from insurance depends on the policy limits of the person who paid for coverage and also on the agreement between the person making the claim and the insurance company. One of the common tactics to reduce the insurance company’s losses involves offering a low settlement so that the company has no future liability for the crash. People who haven’t been able to pay their mortgage or who have a growing pile of medical bills might eagerly accept a settlement only to discover that it leaves them at a terrible disadvantage and unable to ask for more compensation.
Those who are already struggling financially and trying to recover from serious injuries are often not in the right state of mind to take on a protracted battle with an insurance company all on their own. Learning more about how insurance companies manipulate the process to their own advantage may help people understand how challenging getting compensation could be after a car wreck in Las Vegas and allow them to make informed decisions about seeking legal guidance and support.