Is the Insurance Company on Your Side?

Is the Insurance Company on Your Side? Will They Share Their Secret?

I always like helping injured victims with these questions. There is a very simple way to find out the answers. Simply put some basic questions to the insurance company adjuster and make some simple requests… AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. (You’ll be in for a big surprise.) I bet you find that the insurance company wants you to sign a release…wants you to submit to a recorded statement…but they will not give you any information at all. It’s a one-way street…they take and take and take…and you do without. If you want to test if what I’m saying is true, here are the test questions.

1. Ask the insurance company to put in writing the fact that the car or truck accident was not your fault and that it was the fault of their insured. (If they are not willing to do this, could it be because they plan to argue later that it was your fault, either in whole or part?)
2. Ask the insurance company for a copy of their insured’s insurance policy, or declaration sheet or something in writing to tell you the amount of the policy limits of their insured, or in other words, the amount of money limits that they have available to pay your claim. (Injury victims with serious injuries should have this information provided to them.)
3. Ask the insurance company for a copy of their insured’s recorded statement. (Most of the time, they have already taken your recorded statement…if they haven’t yet, they will.) Most insurance companies will take your statement but they will not let you see or get a copy of the statement they have taken from their own insured. (Most insurance companies prefer to keep their insured’s statement a secret from you.) By the way, you have a legal right to ask for a copy of your recorded statement…the insurance company is required to give you a copy.
4. Some insurance companies will ask you to sign a medical release so they can collect all of your medical records. Before you sign the medical release, ask for a WRITTEN PROMISE that they will provide you with copies of each and every medical record they collect. By the way…most medical releases are written so broadly that it allows the insurance company the right and privilege to talk to any of your doctors and to get any of your records, even if the records do not pertain to the injury you suffered. The medical release allows the insurance company to get your medical records all the way back to your birth…if they want to. Ask the insurance company to restrict the medical release and see what happens.
5. Ask the insurance company for the amount of the reserve they have set on your case. (I don’t know of any insurance company that would share this information with you as it is “top secret”. The reserve is an amount that they believe they owe you. Instead of just paying you the reserve…they would prefer to do a little negotiating!)
6. Ask the insurance company for copies of any statements they have taken from other witnesses who witnessed the accident and your injury. (Again, I doubt very much if the insurance company wants to share this information with you.)
7. Ask the insurance company about secondary insurance coverage and if there is an umbrella policy. (Be careful, there might be an umbrella policy out there…and the insurance company doesn’t know about it. So if they say there’s no umbrella policy…get a signed Affidavit from their insured.)
8. Ask the insurance company if they have conducted any surveillance or investigation on you and then request a copy of any films or photographs or investigative reports they have obtained regarding your injury and regarding you. (I would be surprised if any insurance company would be willing to share this information with you…it’s their secret.)
9. Ask the insurance company for a copy of any medical information that they have about you that they have gotten through their very sophisticated computer system or from other sources.
10. Ask the insurance company if they have obtained any kind of credit information or debt information on you through their various sources. Some insurance companies know how much money you owe and to who and when your next payment is due and whether or not you’re behind in your payments. For example, if an injured victim is under a lot of pressure and is behind in their house payment, maybe that would be the PERFECT TIME for a QUICK, LOW SETTLEMENT OFFER.
11. Ask the insurance company if they have canvassed your neighborhood asking questions about you and if so, who have they talked to and what statements and information have they collected.
12. And finally…ask the insurance company about any SWEETHEART DEALS involving subrogation between the wrongdoer’s insurance company and your own insurance company. (Insurance companies cooperate with each other…sometimes that cooperation is not in your best interest.)

I’ll say it again: you cannot believe the huge advantage that the average insurance company has over the injury victim. After all, the insurance company is not injured. The insurance company is not hurting for money. The insurance company is under no pressure whatsoever. The insurance company can pay their bills easily. Let’s face it…the insurance business is a great business to be in. They make HUGE…HUGE…PROFITS. So, the biggest mistake that injured victims make is to think that they can take advantage of the insurance company. And never forget…the insurance company has a whole army of lawyers helping them! Shouldn’t you have at least one on your side?

So now you’ve read the whole list. Who do you think will be on your side, their adjuster or your New Jersey car accident attorney? If you live or work in Jersey City or elsewhere in Hudson County, New Jersey, find out by getting a free, no-obligation consultation with our New Jersey personal injury lawyer, Anthony Carbone. Just contact the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone, P.C. and we’ll do our best to call you that same day.