Strategies auto insurers use to make lowball offers

You found yourself involved in a Louisiana car crash, and now you are wondering whether you are going to be able to cover your medical care and related expenses. You may turn to your insurer to pay your claim and help you move forward. However, you would be wise to think carefully before accepting your insurance company’s first offer.

The National Law Review notes that your auto insurer may first make a lowball offer with the hope that you accept the offer without question. However, accepting your insurance company’s first offer may reduce the amount with which you walk away. Be cognizant of the fact that your insurance company may also use the following strategies to avoid paying you or reduce how much it has to pay you.

Questioning who was at fault

Often, an insurance company’s first step when reviewing a claim is to question whether you have entitlement to it. If you allege your car crash was someone else’s fault, your insurer may question whether your actions also contributed to it to cut the amount it may have to pay.

Questioning your injuries

Your auto insurance company may also imply that you exaggerated the severity of the injuries sustained in the crash, or that your injuries were pre-existing and not the result of the wreck, to avoid paying your claim. Your insurer may also try to argue that you medical treatment you received for your injuries was unnecessary or too extensive for the type of injuries you suffered.

Insurance companies are for-profit businesses, meaning their goal is to make a profit. Keep this in mind before accepting your auto insurer’s first offer following a car crash.