Fort Lauderdale Semi Truck Wreck Law Firm

How Trucking Insurers Avoid Compensating Victims

The impact a trucking accident can have on an individual and their family is often significant. The recovery is usually lengthy and can be a real challenge financially. What’s worse, the trucking insurers will attempt all kinds of tactics to try and avoid paying you what you deserve. In this article, Madalon Law will uncover the top four ways insurance companies try to avoid paying victims or the strategies they use to underpay on settlements.

We hope that you know that there is help if you’ve been involved in this kind of accident, and we welcome your calls and inquiries at our office. This is not the time to try and take matters into your own hands, as you may leave a significant amount of money on the table if you don’t have the proper legal guidance. With that being said, let’s look at how these trucking insurers can hurt your chances of a fair settlement.

Friend Before Foe

Most truck insurance adjusters will take on a friendly role when they first attempt to speak with you about the accident. They will say they care deeply about what happened and that they’ll work towards getting a resolution to your claim. They are trained to do this. They will attempt to get you to make a statement about the accident and use a line of questioning that will work in their favor.

The truth of the matter is, adjusters exist almost solely to find a way to pay you less or deny your claim altogether. This is also the case for adjusters at your own insurance company who you will likely file a claim with first. They will ask a lot of questions to see if they can poke holes in your story or find some kind of data point that suggests you might be liable.

After they get the details they need, they will turn foe, and start using what you’ve told them against you. This is to scare you or get you to cave for a smaller settlement.

• The Takeaway – Don’t speak with the insurer until you’ve consulted with a semi truck wreck lawyer in Fort Lauderdale.

They Play Dumb

These adjusters know that you will need evidence from them in order to build your case. They will try to either push that information off or even tell you they can’t find it. By law, truck drivers have to keep logs about their time on and off the road. Their log-book data is crucial information to build a case, and the insurer knows this. Within that data, the reason why you were in an accident can be revealed.

For example, if the driver failed to take rest stops required or didn’t do pre-check inspections on their truck, that can point to negligence. Some companies have been caught tampering with electronic or paper records or not handing over black box data from the trucks to avoid paying out higher damages.

If the truck insurer isn’t asked for data, chances are they are not going to hand it over freely. This means, if you don’t have a semi truck wreck attorney in Fort Lauderdale retrieve this information, they trucking company adjuster isn’t likely going to offer it up to help your case.

• The Takeaway – A Fort Lauderdale semi truck wreck law firm will know how to recover this critical data, so you get what you need to build a successful claim.

Delay in Game

One of the most common ways to deny victim’s compensation is to delay the game. This means they will avoid phone calls, give you excuses as to why things aren’t moving faster, they’ll site company policies that put off a resolution, etc. This is all in the name of trying to wear you down, so you either abandon the whole claim or get you to settle for less. While your medical bills pile up, they will see just how far they can push you around before you take whatever they offer.

Your Fort Lauderdale semi truck accident law firm will be familiar with these tactics and won’t let the company take you on a ride. Their job is to be aggressive for you, so you’re not consumed with trying to manage your case on your own.

• The Takeaway – An attorney will place pressure on the company, so you’re not taken advantage of. Thorough legal guidance will go a long way to get you the financial damages you deserve.

Lowball Offers

Another typical game the insurance company will play, is making a lowball offer. They will make it sound compelling and that you’re getting a great offer, but chances are, it’s a pittance for what your claim is worth. They might even run down all of the ways you can use the money to recover, leaving off things that you might not have thought about.

For example, with their poor offer, you might be able to cover the MRI you had to get but what about the earnings you lost while out of work? Further, what if your spouse had to go back to work or find a second job to make up for the loss in income? These are just two small examples of things that you should be compensated for.

• The Takeaway – Chances are if the insurer made an offer right out of the gate, they know they are at fault. Don’t take the first offer until you speak to an experienced semi truck accident attorney in Fort Lauderdale, so you don’t take less than you deserve.

It’s unfortunate, but trucking insurers try all kinds of ways to get you from pursuing your claim. They may even state that an offer, is their final one, leaving you feeling helpless and with a pile of unpaid bills. Don’t fall for it. Call or connect with the Madalon Law office today so we can get you the money you deserve.