FIGHTING BACK AGAINST INSURANCE COMPANY TACTICS IN SOFT TISSUE AND MINOR INJURY CASES

The Battle to Obtain Full and Fair Compensation

If you’ve been involved in a car accident, you know that even so-called “minor” accidents, soft tissue accident cases, and fender benders can leave you with significant injuries and property damage. Just because you can walk away from an accident doesn’t mean you haven’t sustained any physical harm.

Unfortunately, insurance companies have a long history of delaying and outright denying claims. A 2007 CNN report exposed the insurance industry practice of “playing hardball” when it comes to minor motor vehicle accident claims. According to industry insiders, the largest insurers even instituted company wide practices encouraging employees to adopt a “Three D” approach to handling cases: deny claims, delay settling claims, and defend against claims in court. Experienced trial lawyers know that the same insurers are still at it seven years later.

Dirty Insurance Company Tricks: Unfair Delays and Denials

In a Huffington Post story reposted by the Center for Justice and Democracy at New York Law School, people who study insurance industry practices point out that insurance companies are unlike other types of businesses in that they combine the pursuit of profit with an obligation to serve the public. In other words, insurers must act in good faith. In fact, there are many consumer protection laws that make insurance companies liable for engaging in bad faith practices.

The article goes on to state that Allstate and other major insurance companies hired a large consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, in the mid-1990s to implement a new way of handling claims. Allstate company records show that this new method of adjusting claims was deliberately designed to make the claims process so frustrating and time-consuming that people simply gave up and walked away. According to CNN, in the most egregious cases, insurers like Allstate offered some accident victims as little as $50 to compensate them for their injuries, lost wages, and other damages. Additionally, studies have shown that delays in making payouts on claims have proven to be very profitable for the insurance companies.

How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help

If you have been injured in an accident that your insurer considers minor or non-serious, you don’t have to give up or walk away – and you don’t have to accept a settlement that is less than what you need or deserve. The attorneys at Joel H. Schwartz, P.C. have decades of experience fighting back against these tactics, and we know how to overcome them and win. We expose these delays and will file G.L. c. 93A claims (Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act) as well as G.L. c. 176D claims (failure to effectuate a prompt and fair settlements) against the insurance companies. Our attorneys will do anything necessary to achieve maximum compensation for our clients. Call us today at (617) 742-1170 to speak to one our personal injury attorneys in Boston, Massachusetts about your case.

This website has been prepared by Joel H. Schwartz, P.C. for informational purposes only and does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. The information is not provided in the course of an attorney-client relationship and is not intended to substitute for legal advice from an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.