Tulsa, Oklahoma insurance companies are not known for their generous settlements and willingness to offer fair compensation when there has been a car accident resulting in an injury.
Most of us drive around with the peace of mind that we pay our insurance premiums every month and feel protected from financial hardship should something happen.
Unfortunately, Oklahoma insurance companies are not as giving when their customers really need them.
Car accidents are stressful enough without having to deal with tactics from your Oklahoma insurance company that cuts costs and could result in an unfair settlement. Many of these tactics can be confusing and hard to follow, especially for victims that are dealing with pain and possibly medical issues.
The best way the combat this unfortunate situation is to hire an experienced and skilled personal injury attorney that is an expert at dealing with an Oklahoma insurance company.
Here are the most common ways Oklahoma insurance companies attempt to settle personal injury claims for a less than fair amount.
Recorded Statements
After you report a car accident to your insurance company or the offender’s insurance company, most insurance agents will want you to provide a statement as to how the car accident happened. This statement is typically recorded and becomes part of the official record. The insurance company will try to record a statement as soon as possible after the accident, sometimes hours or days after the accident.
It is important to remember that you are not required to give a recorded statement at all. The Oklahoma insurance company may use strong words that can sound like you are required to provide a statement.
However, recorded statements tend to only hurt your case in the long run. Many times, the insurance agent will state that they are just trying to collect facts. The truth is, what they want is for you to answer leading questions that could hurt your case and decrease your settlement amount.
Some examples of questions that seem innocent, but are not, include:
- Did you have your cell phone close to you while you were driving?
- What is your cell phone number?
- Were you looking ahead when the crash occurred?
- Were you in good health before the crash?
- Have you experienced similar physical symptoms prior to the crash?
Although these questions may not seem serious, every Oklahoma insurance company is trained to find fault on the part of the victim and a reason to reduce any settlement amounts. The only person who should be talking to the insurance company is your personal injury attorney.
Medical Records
Oklahoma insurance companies will typically request copies of your medical records. This may seem like they are taking your case seriously and want to know the extent of your injuries. However, that is not the truth.
What the insurance company is trying to do is find pre-existing conditions that could be the reason behind your pain and physical discomfort instead of the car accident. They want to explain away the current injury, possible wage loss, disability, or ongoing treatment.
The insurance company is not necessarily required to find specific medical conditions to explain away the car accident injuries; all the insurance company has to do is cast some doubt as to whether the injuries are really related to the car accident.
The truth is, you are not required to disclose your medical records to Oklahoma insurance companies.
There is an exception to medical records disclosure. If you proceed to a trial, you will be required to provide copies of medical records that only pertain to the car accident; no one is entitled to unlimited access to your entire medical file that is not related to the case.
In addition, before any medical information is supplied, an expert personal injury attorney should be hired and review any documents that are to be sent to the other party or their insurance company.
Medical Treatment
You are probably noticing a theme when it comes to Oklahoma insurance companies; they want to pay as little as possible for any claims filed.
One of the tactics they use is to refuse to pay for all or some of the medical treatment you may need as a result of the car accident.
What is a little tricky and confusing is the insurance company will not come out and refuse treatment, they will give seemingly reasonable excuses as to why the treatment will not be covered.
Many reasons range from the ordered treatment is not necessary, is not relevant to the injury, isn’t appropriate for the injury, less evasive treatment is available, or that the severity of the treatment does not match the minor injury you sustained.
Rest assured, if a knowledgeable medical professional believes the treatment to be necessary, then one way or another you will receive treatment.
The easiest way to make sure you receive appropriate treatment immediately and with as little difficulty as possible is to hire a personal injury attorney. He or she will advocate on your behalf and make sure you receive prompt, necessary medical treatment.
Accepting Fault
Most Oklahoma insurance companies do not want to deal with Tulsa personal injury attorneys. They would prefer to work with injured victims who do not know their rights and just want to receive a settlement and move on with their lives.
An insurance company will pile on paperwork, forms, and deadlines to unassuming victims. Thus, the moment an injured party mentions hiring an attorney, the insurance company will do whatever it can to stop this from happening, including admitting fault.
Many victims think they have won when they hear the Oklahoma insurance company admit fault. However, this is a tactic the insurance company uses in order to gain your trust and try to obtain medical records or a recorded statement. This is why it is that much more important to hire a personal injury attorney right away to protect you from the unfair tactics insurance companies are trained to use on accident victims.
Free Consultation with a Tulsa Personal Injury Attorney
Consulting with an attorney as soon as possible in the event you are injured is very important in order to preserve your rights, protect you from the insurance companies, and obtain a fair settlement. An attorney can help protect you from the hidden tactics Oklahoma insurance companies use to decrease settlement offers.
Hiring a knowledgeable and experienced Tulsa personal injury attorney will ensure the process is expertly conducted and your interests are well represented.
For a free, confidential consultation, call 918-924-5528 today.
