When you are involved in an auto accident and another driver is at fault, you will typically file a car accident claim with the insurance provider of the other driver. However, the insurance provider might choose to deny your claim and refuse to reimburse you for the damages you have suffered. There are several reasons why this might happen.
You Are Considered to Be Partially at Fault
If the insurance provider believes that you are partially or fully at fault for the car accident, they might want to reduce your settlement or deny your claim entirely. Under these circumstances, it's a good idea to hire an auto accident attorney who can help you convince the insurance provider that the policyholder was at fault.
There Were Errors in Your Claim
The insurance provider might rightly or wrongly perceive that your claim has errors. Your paperwork might have included incorrect information, or there might be errors in your medical documentation. You will want your car accident lawyer to help you make sure that you haven't made any mistakes.
However, there are other cases where the auto insurance provider might actually be the one with incorrect information. For this reason, contacting the police immediately after an auto accident and having a police report filed can be useful because the police report will include basic facts such as when and where the accident occurred.
Bad Faith Claim Denials
After your claim has been denied, you will want to find out exactly why the insurance provider denied your claim. This will give you an opportunity to correct any errors you made. However, in some cases, an insurance provider will deny a claim in bad faith.
With a bad faith claim denial, there is no valid justification for the insurance provider to deny your claim. If this is the case, you will want to talk to your auto accident lawyer about the claim denial. You may first need to file an appeal for the claim denial. If the appeal is denied, your auto accident lawyer might encourage you to file a lawsuit.
You might be reluctant to file a lawsuit, but it might be your only option if the insurance provider refuses to approve your claim and you have a valid case. Otherwise, you may be forced to pay for your own expenses related to the car accident and file a claim with your health insurance provider.
Contact an auto accident lawyer to learn more.
