Personal injury is the most common type of claim filed with insurance companies in Los Angeles and elsewhere in California. But here is a twist: it is also the type of claim where unfair insurance claim practices are commonplace.
When it comes to personal injury claims in California, it is estimated that insurance companies in the state devalue settlements by up to 80 percent. Your insurer and adjuster can fool and deceive you through a variety of methods and tools.
Luckily for you, we asked our Los Angeles personal injury attorney to spell out ways to prevent your insurance company from fooling you with low-ball settlement offers.
Why do insurance companies deceive?
It is crystal clear that insurance companies lower settlement values in order to increase insurer profits. Here is how it works: an insurance company gets to keep every dollar they save by employing a series of unfair insurance claim practices to lower settlement amounts.
When determining settlement value, an insurance company in Los Angeles or elsewhere in California creates a value driver system that calculates medical, administrative, legal and economic decision points of every personal injury claim. Needless to say, there are several tricks for each element of such calculations that lowers the amount of settlement offers while increasing insurer profits.
Each insurance company has its own rate and formula to devalue settlements and offer unfair, low-ball and unrealistic settlement offers. If you are being represented by a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, there are very low chances that your insurance company will attempt to cheat and deceive you, as they are aware of the risks and consequences they would be facing if caught. Hiring a lawyer means acquiring knowledge and settling a claim for the amount that you truly deserve.
Insurance companies get away with these unfair practices because the vast majority of people filing personal injury claims have no idea how much their claim is really worth. Moreover, they do not even know their legal rights. This makes it easy for insurers to deny liability, shift blame onto the policyholder filing a claim, and employ a variety of unfair insurance claim practices, including but not limited to ignoring claims, delaying decisions, and conducting biased investigations.
Needless to say, no insurance company in Los Angeles or elsewhere across California shares what factors they take into account when conducting their own investigations, determining liability and how much you are entitled to.
Surprising truth about insurance companies in California
You may be surprised to hear this, but some insurers are not aware of all personal injury laws and provisions in California. That is why it is highly advised to hire a Los Angeles personal injury attorney in order to make sure that you are getting a fair settlement after an accident.
By negotiating with your insurer on your own or letting your insurance company conduct an investigation without monitoring how it does it and what factors it relies on, you risk receiving an unfair and low settlement or even being denied of coverage.
Contact the Compass Law Group, LLP to speak about your particular case. We will help you determine the full value of your personal injury claim and fight for every dollar available in your case.
