A car accident can shatter your normal life, leaving you picking up the pieces for a long time to come. You can be crushed by medical bills and rehabilitation expenses, and your inability to work can devastate your financial stability. These downward pressures can leave you feeling overwhelmed with stress and uncertainty. Your only hope may be a successful insurance claim that helps you offset your losses, reclaim your financial stability and advance your recovery in a way that gets you ever so closer to the life that you once enjoyed.
Yet, in far too many cases, car accident insurance claims are denied, leaving crash victims without the resources they need and deserve. That’s why you have to be careful with how you handle your insurance claim. While there are certainly steps that you’ll want to take to position yourself for a successful claim, there are also missteps that you’ll want to avoid along the way. Let’s look at some of the pitfalls that you could step into that could ruin your chances of recovering compensation from an insurance policy. That way you’ll know how to navigate the claims process in a way that protects your interests.
Commonly made mistakes when filing a car accident insurance claim
Filing an insurance claim might seem straightforward, but the process is riddled with nuances that the insurance company will try to use against you. Here are some of the most common and problematic mistakes that you could make when pursuing your claim:
- Making statements indicative of fault: The insurance company will scrutinize everything you’ve said in your case to see if they can find anything to justify a claim denial. Therefore, if you apologized for the accident or made any other statements that could be construed as accepting fault, then the insurance company will latch onto them and use them against you in your case.
- Failing to gather evidence: Your insurance claim needs to be supported by compelling evidence. It should demonstrate that the other driver was at fault, and it has to clearly detail the damages you’ve suffered. If you skimp here, then you could see your claim denied when it otherwise would’ve been paid out as requested.
- Neglecting to report the accident in a timely manner: Many insurance companies require accidents to be reported within a certain period of time. If you miss that deadline, then the insurance company is likely going to refer to it as a required timeline that must be met, then deny your claim.
- Posting on social media about your accident and the claims process: We know that social media can be a great outlet for your emotions and a positive way to connect with others. But it can also prove problematic when you’re trying to receive payout from an insurance company. If you’re not careful, the insurance company might use your social media posts against you to demonstrate that you’ve accepted fault for the accident or to show that your claimed damages aren’t as severe as you’ve portrayed in your claim.
Are you struggling to recover what you deserve from an insurance company?
As you proceed with the claims process, you’ll hopefully be able to avoid these mistakes. But even if you do, there’s a chance that the insurance company will delay your claim or erroneously deny it. When that happens, it can be tempting to throw up your hands in defeat. Don’t do that. Instead, consider your legal options so that you can take the steps necessary to appropriately advocate for your interests.
