Four Ways Insurance Companies Try to Minimize Car Accident Settlements
Insurance companies in California are some of our state’s largest businesses, and they did not grow so big by practicing charity. Instead, California insurers regularly play hardball. Based on their decades of experience, they have developed techniques that have proven successful at getting injured victims to accept far less in settlements than they are entitled to.
At our firm, our Tustin car accident attorneys have gone head-to-head with these insurers and have learned all the tricks that they use. Below, we highlight four of the most common.
The Company Tries to Get You to Admit Fault for the Accident
California is a comparative negligence state. This means that the amount of compensation a victim can receive is reduced by his or her own negligence.
For this reason, insurers have an incentive to get you to admit to partial responsibility for the crash. They often call up injured victims, who might be in a lot of pain, and try to take a recorded statement. During the statement—which is really like an interview—the insurance adjuster tries to get the motorist to admit to key mistakes, such as:
- Failing to yield
- Failing to use a turn signal
- Failing to check their surroundings
Often, agents make declarative statements like “You weren’t really paying attention, right?” and try to get an unwary victim to agree.
The Insurance Agent Claims He Cannot Offer More Money
After giving you a lowball offer for your settlement, an agent might claim, “Sorry, I can’t give you more. This is the maximum amount I am authorized to offer.” Actually, the agent might be telling the truth. His boss might have told him he cannot go over a certain dollar amount. But this does not mean that negotiations are over.
You know how when you buy a car, the sales rep goes into a back room to talk to his boss? The same thing happens when negotiating a car accident settlement. The insurance adjuster can go back to his boss, telling the boss that you won’t settle unless you get more money. It is up to the boss to increase the amount the adjuster is authorized to offer.
The Insurance Company Tries to Rush You into Signing a Settlement Agreement
Adjusters typically claim that time is of the essence and that you must sign off on the agreement as soon as possible. Actually, there is rarely a legitimate reason you need to act so quickly. You surely have time to meet with a Tustin car accident attorney to review the settlement agreement.
Remember, included in the agreement is a release of liability, which will prevent you from suing in the future for more money. This is the real reason the insurance company is so eager for you to sign on the dotted line quickly.
The Insurer Says You Don’t Need a Lawyer
Insurance adjusters will often claim you will get more money if you don’t hire a lawyer. This is rarely the case. Instead, an experienced attorney, wise to the tricks of the insurance companies, can often maximize the amount of money you take home. The truth is that an attorney is the only one who has your best interests at heart during the entire negotiation process.
Contact a Tustin, California Car Accident Lawyer Now
Instead of settling for pennies, take control of your settlement negotiations by hiring an experienced lawyer to represent you in negotiations. At the Law Office of Gary A. Peterson, we have helped many injured victims get the compensation they are entitled to, but we need to hear from you first. To schedule a free consultation, please call 714-461-6003 or shoot us an online message.