When you suffer injuries in a Virginia car accident, the last thing you want to do is haggle with insurers about the compensation you deserve. In general, auto insurance companies have a reputation for low-balling injured car accident victims.
We cannot speak to the honesty of an insurance company about which we know nothing. However, we can offer Roanoke residents a few suggestions for getting fair compensation when dealing with insurers.
The following tips can help
Some of the bad faith insurance practices you may face after an accident include:
- Delaying accident investigations in the hope that you will abandon your claim
- Deceptive practices such as not informing you of critical filing deadlines
- Failing to conduct a careful and complete accident investigation
Instead of falling victim to an insurer that does not play by the rules, educate yourself beforehand to avoid bad faith practices. Three tips to accomplish this goal include the following.
- Get several estimates. Do your research to find out the estimated costs of repairing damaged property.
- Negotiate low offers. You have the right to turn down a low-ball settlement from insurers, but make sure to do so in good faith.
- Look out for betterment traps. Some insurers try to make too low an offer based on the improvements to your damaged property. For example, they may claim that the new parts installed on your damaged car make the vehicle worth more than it did pre-accident.
Although these recommendations revolve mostly around property damage, you can use the same tips when seeking injury damages from an insurance company. If you fear mistreatment or have already had trouble with your claims, consider learning more about car accidents, injury damages and insurance company tactics to protect your rights.