Insurance Company Tactics: What to Watch Out for After an Injury
When you’ve been injured in an accident, dealing with insurance companies can be one of the most challenging aspects of your recovery process. At Raff and Raff, with over a century of experience representing injured clients throughout Northern New Jersey, we’ve seen firsthand how insurance companies operate to minimize their payouts.
Understanding these tactics can help you protect your rights and ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
Quick Settlement Offers
The Tactic: One of the most common strategies insurance adjusters use is offering a quick settlement shortly after your accident. They may contact you while you’re still recovering, perhaps even while you’re still in the hospital.
Why It’s Problematic: Early settlement offers are almost always lower than what your claim is truly worth. At this stage, you likely don’t yet know the full extent of your injuries, how long your recovery will take, or whether you’ll have permanent limitations. Accepting an early offer means you’ll be unable to seek additional compensation later, even if your condition worsens.
Our Advice: Avoid accepting any settlement until you’ve reached maximum medical improvement (MMI) and have consulted with an experienced personal injury attorney.
Recorded Statements
The Tactic: Insurance adjusters will often request a recorded statement, claiming it’s a routine part of the claims process.
Why It’s Problematic: These statements can be used against you later. Even innocent comments or slight inconsistencies in how you describe the accident or your injuries can be taken out of context to deny or devalue your claim.
Our Advice: Politely decline to give a recorded statement until you’ve spoken with your attorney. At Raff and Raff, we can prepare you for any necessary statements and may attend these sessions with you.
Surveillance and Social Media Monitoring
The Tactic: For higher-value claims, insurance companies may hire investigators to conduct surveillance or thoroughly examine your social media accounts.
Why It’s Problematic: A photo of you gardening or playing with your children could be used to suggest your injuries aren’t as severe as claimed, even if these activities cause you significant pain that isn’t visible in a snapshot.
Our Advice: Set all social media accounts to private during your claim process and be mindful of what friends and family post about you. Remember that even normal daily activities might be misrepresented as evidence against your claim.
Disputing Medical Necessity
The Tactic: Insurance companies frequently challenge the necessity of certain treatments or diagnostic tests recommended by your doctor.
Why It’s Problematic: This tactic can interfere with your recovery if you’re unable to afford these procedures without insurance coverage.
Our Advice: Keep detailed records of all medical recommendations and how they relate to your accident injuries. Your attorney can help fight these denials and ensure you receive proper medical care.
Requesting Unnecessary Documentation
The Tactic: Sometimes insurance companies will repeatedly request additional documentation that may not be relevant to your claim.
Why It’s Problematic: These requests can delay your claim and may be designed to find inconsistencies or reasons to deny coverage.
Our Advice: An experienced attorney can determine which requests are legitimate and necessary versus those that are simply delay tactics.
Conclusion
At Raff and Raff, our family has been protecting injured clients from unfair insurance practices for over 100 years. We understand how these companies operate and how to counter their tactics effectively. If you’ve been injured in Northern New Jersey, don’t face the insurance companies alone. Contact us for a free consultation to ensure your rights are protected throughout the claims process.
Remember: insurance companies have teams of adjusters and lawyers working to minimize their payouts. Having an experienced personal injury attorney on your side levels the playing field and gives you the best chance at receiving fair compensation for your injuries.
This blog post is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific guidance regarding your personal injury case, please contact Raff and Raff for a personalized consultation.
