What to Do When the Insurance Company Rejects Your Auto Accident Claim

A serious car accident is a jarring and potentially life-changing experience. You may be facing time away from work, recovery from serious injuries, as well as mounting medical and property damage expenses. To add insult to injury, auto insurance companies often try to reject injury claims, even where fault seems clear-cut. You are then faced with the prospect of a drawn-out negotiation process or even a battle in court. If an insurance company rejects your auto accident claim, what should you do? Continue reading for tips on what to do after an insurance company denies an auto accident claim, and reach out to a dedicated Palmdale car crash attorney if you or someone you care about has been hurt in a car accident in the Antelope Valley.

Step One: Call Your Lawyer

After a car accident, you should report the incident to your insurance company and file a claim with the insurance company of the at-fault driver. The at-fault driver’s insurance company will likely have an adjuster call you to discuss your claim. If they agree to pay all of your damages, you can quickly settle. Unfortunately, it is not always that easy. Sometimes they will outright deny any liability.

If your claim is rejected, your first step should be to call an auto accident attorney. You can be sure that the insurance provider is going to throw everything in their toolbox at you in order to reject or limit payment on your claim. A California car crash attorney can help you build your case, gathering evidence of the accident and the other driver’s fault, as well as evidence of your total damages–lost wages, medical expenses, etc. Do not settle for a lowball amount just to resolve the matter quickly. You may miss out on coverage of extensive future medical costs.

Reasons for Denial

Insurance companies may resort to a number of excuses to deny a claim. They may claim that an accident occurred due to an excluded event, such as an act of God (earthquake, flood, etc.). For car accident claims, they are likely to either claim that liability is not clear because there is insufficient evidence that their policyholder was at fault, or that there was some technical problem with the claim–it was not filed within the deadline, certain documentation was missing, etc. They may even claim that the policyholder missed payments on their premium and so they are not liable on the claim, even if the at-fault driver is.

Responding to a Denial

Whatever the reason for the denial, you do not have to take it at face value. If the denial is because of a failure of the at-fault driver, such as if they failed to pay their premiums, then you might be left pursuing claims against the driver individually. However, if the insurance provider simply denies fault, what they are really doing is starting the negotiation process. You and your attorney can then build your case, negotiating with the insurance provider for a favorable settlement.

Ultimately, if they refuse to settle for a proper amount, you might choose to file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver and their insurance company. It is still likely that you will eventually settle the case before reaching trial. With the help of your auto accident attorney, you can keep fighting until you get a settlement offer that actually covers all of your damages, reflecting your injuries and your associated costs.

If a negligent driver in California has injured you or a loved one, talk to a qualified and professional Palmdale car crash attorney about pursuing a claim for damages by calling the Kistler Law Firm at 661-206-6990.