A car accident can occur in the blink of an eye, leaving you injured, your car damages, and your emotions frayed. After the dust settles, you might breathe a sigh of relief knowing that you have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. But the sad reality is that even with this protection in place, you’re not guaranteed to receive an adequate payout under your policy.
Reasons why your claim may be denied or underpaid
Insurance companies are tricky, and they’re going to try a number of maneuvers to avoid paying you what you’re owed. In fact, here are some common arguments that they make in the uninsured or underinsured motorist context:
- A delayed premium payment caused your coverage to lapse, thereby leaving you without protection at the time of your accident
- You failed to timely notify the insurance company of your accident and your claim
- Your specific policy doesn’t cover all the types of damages that you’re seeking
- The other driver’s policy is sufficient to cover your losses
- You claim isn’t supported by adequate evidence of your damages
These are just some of the tactics that your insurance company might use against you, so be prepared to face them.
What to do if your claim is denied or underpaid
If you think that your insurance company has improperly denied your claim, then you don’t have to immediately file a lawsuit. Instead, you can work with an attorney to assess the reason for the denial and seek negotiations with your insurance company. If that doesn’t work, then you might be able to successfully pursue whatever internal appeals process your insurance company has.
What’s important to remember is that an initial denial of your claim isn’t the end of the road. You have legal options. So, be sure to seek out the assistance that you need if you want to make sure that you exhaust all your options for recovering the compensation that you’re owed.
