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Most people buy auto insurance believing it will be there when they need it. But according to a recent Wall Street Journal investigation, entitled: “If You Get in a Car Crash, the Risk Is Growing Your Insurance Won’t Pay,” more drivers are learning the hard way that filing a claim does not necessarily mean the insurance company will pay it.
The Journal found that several of the nation’s largest auto insurers have seen significant increases in the percentage of liability and medical claims closed without payment over the past decade. Among the companies with the largest increases were Farmers, Liberty Mutual and State Farm.
These are not simply claims for dents and vehicle repairs. Liability and medical claims often involve hospital bills, lost wages, serious injuries and damages caused by uninsured or underinsured drivers. For an injured person or family already dealing with the aftermath of a wreck, a denied claim can be financially devastating.
Insurance companies argue that claims may be closed without payment for legitimate reasons. Some claims fall outside the terms of a policy, are withdrawn, or are paid by another carrier. But that does not fully explain the troubling rise in unpaid claims. As Douglas Heller of the Consumer Federation of America told the Journal, insurers can use low offers and claim denials to increase profits when customers lack the resources to fight back.
That is exactly why having an experienced attorney matters.
Insurance adjusters handle claims every day. They understand the policy language, know how to question an injured person’s damages, and have systems designed to control what the company pays. Most accident victims are facing that process for the first time.
A personal injury attorney can investigate the wreck, gather and preserve evidence, document the client’s injuries and financial losses, review the available insurance coverage and challenge an unfair denial or lowball offer. Legal representation gives an injured person someone in their corner who knows how the insurance process works—and how to push back when the carrier refuses to treat a claim fairly.
At Ponce Law, we believe insurance companies should provide the protection their customers paid for. If your injury claim has been denied, delayed or undervalued, you do not have to fight the insurance company by yourself.
Reference: “If You Get in a Car Crash, the Risk Is Growing Your Insurance Won’t Pay,” The Wall Street Journal. Read the article.
