Signs Your Car Accident Claim Is Being Intentionally Delayed

After the shock of a car accident and the necessary medical treatment, the next ordeal is also distressing—dealing with a Kansas City car accident claim against the other driver who caused the accident. Like the majority of states, Missouri is a fault-based insurance state that requires injury victims seeking compensation for car accident damages to file claims against the at-fault driver’s insurance. Unfortunately, the insurance companies exist to make profits and are not on your side, no matter how compassionate they sound on the phone. If months pass by and there’s no progress on obtaining the compensation you deserve, the insurance company may have intentional motives. It’s important to understand the delaying tactics insurance companies use and why they commonly delay, dispute, and deny claims.

What Damages Can I Recover In a Car Accident Claim?

Car accidents with injuries are expensive as well as terrifying. The consequences of the accident accumulate during the weeks and months that follow. These are the victim’s “damages” in a car accident claim. Common damages include property damage to a vehicle, medical expenses, future medical costs for further treatment, income loss, and compensation for pain and suffering. In some cases, a car accident victim can claim other non-economic damages, for instance, if they’ve lost a limb, one of the senses, an organ, or they’ve become disfigured.

Insurance companies dislike paying out on large claims. Instead, they often delay the claim for motives that soon become clear.

Is My Car Accident Claim Being Intentionally Delayed?

A car accident is a frightening and painful experience, especially if it’s more than a simple fender-bender but involves serious injuries as well as property damage. After an accident, the insurance company of the driver at fault receives your claim and assigns an adjuster to the case. The insurance adjuster’s job is to protect the company’s profits—at your expense. Despite sounding warm and reassuring on the phone, an insurance adjuster may use your words against you later and use other tactics as well to undervalue your claim in the hopes that you’ll settle for far less than the amount you’re entitled to. Watch for the following signs that the insurance company is intentionally delaying your claim:

• They fail to return phone calls and emails
• They ask for redundant paperwork
• They state that they are still working on the investigation
• They request authorization to review your medical records
• They dispute a portion of your medical treatment as unnecessary for your injury

It’s always beneficial to hire a car accident lawyer in Kansas City soon after the accident and then direct the insurance adjuster assigned to your case to speak to your attorney. Otherwise, insurance companies commonly first reach out with lowball settlement offers while you are vulnerable and not yet aware of the true scope of damages you’re facing, or they tactically delay processing your claim if you turn down the low settlement offer.

How Does Delaying a Car Accident Claim Help the Insurance Company?

Delaying the progress on a car accident victim’s claim is part of what many car accident attorneys call the three D’s—delay, dispute, and deny. Delaying claims often wears down the injury victim so they are more likely to accept the next low settlement offer the insurance company throws their way. It also causes a significant number of claimants to simply give up and deal with the expense of the accident without compensation. Finally, the longer the insurance company holds onto the amount of your settlement, the longer it sits in their account earning interest instead of earning that interest in your account. With profits as their priority, it benefits them to delay a payout on a car accident claim for as long as possible.

Call a Kansas City Car Accident Lawyer

When you have a lawyer on your side defending your interests, the insurance adjuster understands that delaying tactics are not going to deter you. Call the car accident attorneys in Kansas City who get exceptional results for injured clients. At Miller & Hine, we advocate for prompt action and the most compensation available to every client.