Is there anything else I need to know about insurance companies if I have been involved in an accident?

Yes, there are other things you need to be aware of when it comes to filing a claim with an insurance company. Another tactic some employ is something referred to as the “swoop and settle” tactic. This involves an adjuster, or other insurance company representatives, hustling to get claims settled before the injured survivor knows the actual extent of their injuries, their prognosis, how long it could take to recover, and how their injuries may affect them in the long term.

Disturbingly, insurance adjusters have been known to not explain the fact that settling early means there may be problems later if a survivor is more seriously injured than first thought.

However, there is also another thing to be aware of, and that relates to injured survivors being preyed on by unethical medical professionals and attorneys. There has been an uptick over the last number of years where attorneys work with chiropractors to send them clients with the benefit that the attorney gets a client referral and the chiropractor sends the patient to the attorney.

It is also good to be aware of attorneys who advertise endlessly on TV or in other forms of media, such as the local cable company or even the Yellow Pages. These are typically high-volume attorneys, striving to get as many clients as they can, then settle early and as fast as possible. If that cannot be achieved, the client usually gets dropped. The accident survivor gets left out in the cold either by taking an early, low settlement, or having their case dropped, making it difficult to pursue your claim against the insurance company.

Look for a lawyer who will take your case to court if the insurance company does not want to offer a fair and just settlement. When an insurance company knows the survivor’s attorney can and will take them to court, they usually change their tune and up their settlement offer.

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