The road to recovery following an accident may not be an easy one for you. The accumulation of medical bills and lost wages can lead you to file for Providence personal injury claims. It’s normal to feel physically, emotionally and mentally overwhelmed while filing for personal injury claims. In some cases, you might not be able to get started on making your claims because your focus is to get back to good health.
But if there is one task that all accident victims are forced to endure, it’s dealing with insurance companies. Insurance policies are there to protect our own interests but unfortunately, for insurance companies, they only look out for their best interests.
The company’s bottom line grows when they make as few payments as possible. This profit-making attitude may cause insurers to act in bad faith. When we say “acting in bad faith”, we mean that they may turn to uncouth tactics that will make the recovery process a nightmare or they may unfairly deny your claim.
You might feel helpless when you find yourself in such a situation but this does not mean that the law is not on your side. The law is there to protect you against such policyholders. Insurance companies who make it a habit to act in bad faith can face serious financial repercussions.
If you are not familiar with how insurance companies can act in bad faith, here are a few signs that the insurer you are dealing with, could be acting in bad faith.
Unnecessary Threats
Some insurers may threaten policyholders unnecessarily. Scare tactics are inappropriate and in some cases, insurers are known to tell their policyholders that if they pursue a claim, their rates will increase, or worse, they will lose their coverage. This is a tactic they mostly use to coarse clients into settling for lowball settlement offers. If your insurance company starts using such kinds of threats, it’s a clear sign that they are acting in bad faith.
Unwarranted Accusations
Insurers can overstep their boundaries and start making outrageous claims about what happened in the accident. For example, in a car accident, the insurance company may suggest that you were driving while texting, over speeding and insinuate that you were breaking traffic rules. They may also suggest that your injuries are not that serious and you are just trying to collect money.
Delay Tactics
Following an accident, you are likely to lose wages, have accumulating medical bills and other expenses. Time is crucial and you need to start paying your bills and paying for your expenses as soon as possible to avoid drowning in debt. If an insurer delays action at any stage of the process, they would be acting in bad faith.
There are stages you must go through before your claim is paid out. Your insurer is supposed to work diligently with you through every stage. They should have their lines of communication open at all times and respond to your requests promptly. Even in situations where the staff may be overwhelmed by work, they may still be held accountable for not acting on your claim in a timely manner.
Misinterpretations and Lies
Insurance adjusters rarely misinterpret their dealings with a claim. They may lie about the facts of an accident or try to confuse policyholders about their legal rights and their policy. Insurance companies should only provide their clients with fair dealings.
Questionable Denial
While not all denials are a sign of bad faith from your insurer it’s important to understand the reason why they denied your claim. Some insurers will claim that your situation is not covered under their policy while others may imply that you did not pay your premiums. If their claims are untrue, then it’s a show of bad faith.
Fight Back and Hire A Providence Personal Injury Lawyer
If you suspect that your insurer is acting in bad faith, you do not have to stand by and watch helplessly. Aside from paying what they owe you, they should be punished for acting in bad faith.
Our personal injury lawyers are familiar with bad faith insurance law and we can help you by protecting your rights and getting you the compensation that you deserve.
To talk to one of our Kevin P. Landry lawyers, you can dial 401-751-0101 or you can visit our Providence offices for a free initial consultation.
