- September 6, 2022
Normally, if you’re involved in a motor vehicle accident, all you have to do is file your insurance claim. Within a week or two, you’ll get a check in the mail for your insurance proceeds. This will be enough to cover your mechanic’s bills and any medical bills you may have experienced. There are times however, when the insurance company decides to deny your claim. This is when it’s time to contact an auto accident lawyer in Greenville.
Our attorneys have met with hundreds of clients over the years who have been in the same boat as you. They paid their insurance premiums all their life only to find out that the insurance company wasn’t there when they needed them the most. If the other driver was responsible for the crash, then their insurance carrier should pay your damages. It’s not that difficult a concept to understand. Unfortunately, there are times when the insurance adjuster decides to deny your insurance claim.
Here, we will explain the various reasons why the insurance company may have refused to pay your claim. We will also discuss what options are at your disposal if your claim is denied. If you have any questions about your own accident case, feel free to contact us directly. You can always schedule your free consultation online or by telephone.
There are Several Reasons Why the Company Denied Your Insurance Claim
You may be wondering why the company would deny your insurance claim in the first place. It may seem to you that the other driver was clearly at fault. You were there at the accident scene, and you saw what happened. There may even be eyewitnesses who saw the crash and can attest to the fact that the other driver was at fault.
The problem is that the insurance company can only go off of what information was provided to them. If they speak with the other driver before they speak with you, they’re going to have the other driver’s version of events. If their story is believable, the insurance adjuster may assume that you caused the crash. By the time they get your claim their mind has already been made-up.
Some of the more common reasons we have seen auto claims be denied include the following:
- The other driver’s policy was cancelled or had lapsed for non- payment
- The insurance adjuster believes you were at fault
- The insurance company doesn’t think you sustained any injuries
- You have a history of filing false accident claims
- Your claim is large, and the insurance company would rather settle for less down the road
As long as the other driver’s policy was valid, your auto accident lawyer in Greenville can help you file an appeal. However, if their policy was no longer active or had been cancelled, there’s nothing we can do to convince the insurance company to pay. No insurance company is ever going to payout on an invalid policy.
Your South Carolina Personal Injury Attorney Can Appeal Your Insurance Claim
Once your insurance claim is denied, you’ll be sent a letter of denial. You want to bring a copy of this letter when you visit your South Carolina personal injury attorney. This will give your attorney a chance to see what the exact reason for the denial was. Usually, the insurance adjuster will simply type a certain code onto your denial letter. This code refers to a specific reason for the denial.
Once your auto accident lawyer in Greenville knows why the insurance claim was denied, they can move forward preparing your appeal. If your appeal is successful, you should receive your insurance check in a matter of weeks. If, however, your claim is still denied on appeal, you’ll have to file a lawsuit against the other driver.
You May Need to Hire an Auto Accident Lawyer in Greenville to File Suit
While there is no rule that says you need to hire an attorney to file suit on your behalf, it is usually in your best interest to do so. If you attempt to handle the lawsuit on your own, you may file the wrong form or pay the wrong filing fee. You may forget to serve the other parties. You may even miss the statute of limitations filing deadline. If you do, your case will be dismissed, and you’ll be forever barred from pursuing the other driver ever again.
Your South Carolina personal injury attorney will not make these types of mistakes. They have been handling car accident cases for years and know exactly what the protocol is. They’re also familiar with the court clerks and can reach out to them to get status updates from time to time. This is not something you would be able to do on your own.
Meet with an Experienced Auto Accident Lawyer in Greenville Today
If you were involved in a car accident and the insurance company denied your claim, you’re going to be extremely frustrated. You’re also going to want to know what your options are to get the compensation you deserve. This is why it’s a good reason to meet with an auto accident lawyer in Greenville as soon as possible after your car crash. Our attorneys have spent years helping clients get damages for injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident. They can do the same for you.
Just because the insurance company denied your insurance claim doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to compensation. As explained above, they could have denied your claim for any number of reasons. Sometimes they deny your claim because they know that you deserve money, but they don’t want to pay the full amount. This is why our South Carolina personal injury attorneys work hard to settle our clients claims. We would much rather get your money up front than have to sue somebody and get paid months or years later.
We recommend that you call our office within days of your auto accident and schedule your free consultation. Take the time to sit down with an experienced attorney who can review your case and let you know what your options are. If this means you need to appeal your insurance claim, then that’s what we’ll help you do. But if our associate thinks that your best bet is to file suit, then you should probably consider filing suit.
Since your initial consultation is free, you have nothing to lose. The other driver will have a team of lawyers representing them and you should too.
