Spokane drivers have to deal with a lot of dangerous traffic hazards. The snow and ice can be the biggest danger in the winter and in warmer months the careless drivers on I-90 and veering all over Division can be nerve-wracking.
If you get caught in an accident and injured you may experience more stress when dealing with the at-fault driver’s insurance provider. Drivers can be covered by insurance giants like Travelers which may be a major negative for victims who are just trying to get help paying for their medical care.
Before you find yourself in a loop of insurance delays and frustration, contact the Spokane Vehicle Accident Lawyers with CCD Law, P.S., who have dealt with the insurance industry for decades. They may have new spins on their tactics, but the bottom line is that insurance agents have one mission: to limit or totally eliminate the compensation you should get. Before you fall into their traps, take time for a free consultation with CCD Law to find out what your injury may actually be worth.
Travelers Insurance Tricks of the Trade After Spokane Accidents
Travelers boasts about their “red umbrella” coverage protection for drivers and their victims, but that umbrella can point to a lot of stress when dealing with their corporate representatives.
NerdWallet puts Travelers near the bottom of the top ten insurance providers in America in terms of the number of policyholders they serve. They hold about 2% of the U.S. market share which is still a lot of drivers. They rank around average for claim satisfaction.
“Average” in the insurance industry is no endorsement. All insurance agents resort to similar tactics when dealing with victims hurt by their policyholders. All of the tactics are meant to keep victims on the line until they get desperate and susceptible to lowball offers.
Insurance agents can use these strategies to weaken accident victims further:
- Failure to promptly examine a claim. Leaving you with expensive invoices and missed payments building up.
- Wrongfully denying a claim. Rejecting claims randomly to see if you’ll give up.
- Unreasonable interpretation of the terms of a policy. Hoping you don’t know how to read the legal fine print.
- Refusing to make you a settlement offer. Testing your resolve to see if you’ll force them to enter a courtroom to defend their actions.
An attorney working vigorously on your behalf can break down all these tactics before they start. Your attorney can also be gathering evidence and witnesses to build a strong case to show insurance firms that you are willing to take them before a judge and jury. This looming threat is usually enough to get insurance agents to make you a fair offer to avoid the costs of a trial.
Visit our insurance page for more information on dealing with other Spokane insurance providers like Safeco and PEMCO.
Compensation for Hardships After an Accident
One of the biggest ways insurance companies can limit compensation awards is to keep victims unaware of all the financial, physical, and emotional difficulties that can be included in a claim for damages.
These factors can greatly increase the amount a case is worth, and quite frankly they are all expenses that victims should never have to cover themselves.
These are just a few of the things victims may not consider when they file a claim:
- Extended Care: Travelers may give in and pay for the costs of your stay in the hospital, but what about the cost of medical care down the road? You may have a broken bone that sets wrong and needs surgery in a month. You could also require a full year of physical therapy. You may even face a permanent disability and need medical oversight for life. Your claim for damages should account for these very real possibilities.
- Lost Paychecks: You may soon be able to return to your job, but what if your injury needs more rehabilitation and you have to miss a month of work? Can you survive without a month’s worth of pay? In the case of a disability, perhaps a lost limb, you may have to face the prospect of changing careers. Your training for a new job should be included in a settlement.
- Emotional Suffering: After a violent accident, victims can face the terrible prospects of anxiety attacks. It may take a full year to feel comfortable getting behind the wheel again. Depression can also be a symptom of a loss of enjoyment of life due to a severe injury. These injuries can change an entire way of life and also be emotionally draining for close family members. Compensation awards should consider this pain and the cost of psychological counseling.
Contact a Spokane Auto Accident Lawyer
After an accident that wasn’t your fault, don’t face experienced insurance adjusters alone. Travelers will have a team working to discredit your injury case, but you can have a team of your own ready to call them out on shady practices.
Established in Spokane in 1948, Crary & Domanico, P.S. is committed to protecting our clients and getting them the compensation they’ll need to get their life back on track. If our Spokane Car Accident Lawyers represent you for your accident claim, you have our assurance that we will use our absolute best efforts to win your case. Contact us after any accident resulting in a serious injury for a free, confidential consultation and case evaluation.
