#8 What does the other driver’s insurance company not want me to know about my rights if I’ve been injured in a car accident?

QUESTION: What does the other driver’s insurance company not want me to know about my rights if I’ve been injured in a car accident?

ANSWER: The other driver’s insurance company may not want you to know that settling your claim too quickly or signing a medical records release authorization before fully understanding your rights can severely impact your personal injury claim. They count on your lack of experience with the claims process to minimize their payout. It’s crucial not to settle your claim until you’ve fully recovered and been released by your medical providers. Consultation with a personal injury attorney can provide clarity on your rights and help protect your claim, with no fee or obligation for an initial consultation.

What does the other driver’s insurance company not want me to know about my rights if I’ve been injured in a car accident?

What causes the most problems when you’ve been injured in a collision, is not having been in the situation before and not knowing what should and should not be happening. This kind of experience happens to all of us in all kinds of ways.

Let’s say you have an electrical problem in your house and you don’t know anything about electrical wiring or have any experience with troubleshooting and fixing electrical issues. Trying to resolve the problem without the help of an electrician may create even more challenges in addition to your initial problem because you don’t know how to work through and solve electrical issues.

When you’ve been involved in a car accident, all of sudden, you’re tossed into a world that you probably know very little about.

The adjuster for the at-fault driver is counting on you not knowing how things should and should not be happening.

Here are a couple of examples:

Within 14-30 days following the accident, the other person’s insurance company will call you and say, “Hey, let’s settle your claim. All your medical bills will be paid by your PIP coverage, so let’s just go ahead and settle your claim and get you some money!” And you think, “Oh that sounds good, okay sure, why not.”

That seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to do, but it’s actually the worst mistake that you can make.

What’s most important is you having a full recovery from your injuries as quickly as possible, not settling your case. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, negotiating with the adjuster for the insurance for the person who hit you is the last thing that should happen in any personal injury claim — not days or weeks after the collision. Whether you have an attorney or not, your claim should not be settled until your medical providers release you from their care. You can read more about how to avoid making the #1 Personal Injury Mistake article on our website.

Another way the other person’s insurance company will try to take advantage of you is to ask you to sign a medical records release authorization, so they can have access to your medical records. They will tell you that they cannot process your claim or settle your claim without your records.

While that is partially true — they do need your medical records to process and settle your claim — but not until you are completely done treating.

We’ve written a detailed blog post about how signing a medical records release can be detrimental to your personal injury claim. Read more about how to avoid Mistake #5: Signing a medical authorization release for the other driver’s insurance company.

The adjuster’s job for the insurance company for the person who caused the collision is to save their employer — the insurance company — as much money as possible.

They are banking on you not understanding your rights and the personal injury claim process.

There is no fee and no obligation to talk with a personal injury attorney. Talking with an experienced lawyer will give you peace of mind. Whether you decide to hire them or not, during an initial consultation they will provide you with valuable information that will help protect you and your personal injury claim.

Whether you’re our client or not, we want to be a bridge of support for you.

We’ve developed a robust library of articles and videos organized into four topics which include our responses to the personal injury claim-related questions we’re asked most often.

• Top 10 Personal Injury Claim Mistakes to Avoid
• What You Need to Know About Your Claim
• How Are My Medical Bills & Wage Loss Paid
• How to Prepare for Your Independent Medical Exam

The articles provide advice and guidelines to help you navigate each phase of the personal injury claims process. Whether we represent you or not, we are passionate about helping you protect your rights, you receiving the medical care you need to recover from your injuries, and having the information you need to avoid mistakes that can harm your personal injury claim.