Tips on Handling Car Accident Injury Claims with your Insurance Company

by: Mark Dacanay

Car accidents are the leading cause of personal injuries in the United States.

In 2005 alone, there are about 2.9 million people injured as a result of car accidents.

Car accident injuries are also the leading cause of death in road accidents and in the same study, have resulted in about forty-three thousand deaths.

Some of the common car accident injuries are:

• Knee injuries

• TBI and head injuries

• Paralysis (Paraplegia, quadriplegia, etc.)

• Burn injuries

• Amputations

• Fractured bones

• Skin lacerations

Car accident injuries usually cause large medical expenses and you would need to make a claim with your insurance company.

The problem is most insurance companies look for ways to pay the claimant as little as possible.

Insurance adjusters will be reviewing all your records and will find ways on reducing the payment as much as they can.

To avoid those problems, here are some tips that can be followed to ensure that you are getting a fair amount from your insurance company:

• Your personal injury claim starts when you go to a doctor – It is very important that you seek medical attention for your injuries after a car accident. If your car accident insurance policy carries personal injury protection coverage, the medical expenses should be covered by your car accident insurance company first. Going in the emergency room as soon as possible will show that the car accident injuries needed immediate medical treatment.

• Disclose all symptoms with the emergency room doctor – The doctor will take note of all the symptoms you are feeling, including all aches and pains in any part of your body. If you forget to mention any symptoms, it will not be placed on your medical record. Insurance adjusters will be reviewing your medical records very intently and they can then use these “forgotten symptoms” to decrease the value of your injury by telling you that you did not report the said injury the day you went in the emergency room.

• Be careful with what you say, even with the doctors – The doctor will be taking note of everything you say and in turn will be reviewed by the medical adjusters.
If the doctor asks you what you were doing and answer that you were “playing golf or basketball, was jogging, etc. after the car accident.” The insurance adjuster can use that against your claim by saying that your injuries were not very serious if you were able to engage in such strenuous activities.

• Ask the emergency doctor for a work release – Even if you believe you do not need one, ask for one. Some injuries do not appear until after a few days. This also help in showing that your injuries was serious enough to warrant time off from work.

• Ask for a referral – Emergency doctors would only see you because of emergencies like car accidents. They will not continue your treatment. Ask them for a doctor that they can refer so that you can continue your treatment.

• Stick to your treatment schedule – Insurance adjusters will reduce the payment you will get if they find out that you are skipping some of your treatment. Skipping treatment will show that your injuries are not as serious as you claim.