Don’t Let the Insurance Companies Fool You: You Can Still Seek Compensation for Your Car Accident Injuries Regardless of Any Pre-Existing Injuries
Insurance companies tend to have a reputation for attempting to wriggle out of paying a claim if they can spot an opportunity to do so and one of their favorite tactics appears to be when they refer to a pre-existing medical issue as a reason for denying you the cash you deserve.
When you go into battle against an insurance company it would make sense to appoint car accident lawyers with many years of experience in the field in order to help you make a successful claim, especially as they are often wise to the tricks and tactics employed to try and deny a payout.
In the meantime, here is a look at what you need to know about pre-existing injuries when it comes to claiming for a car accident injury.
It’s complicated
The issue of claiming compensation when you have pre-existing injuries is not entirely straightforward and there is little doubt that the situation can get quite complicated if you attempt to go through the process yourself.
A new personal injury claim where there are no pre-existing issues to complicate matters can often be easier to resolve than when the topic of pre-existing conditions comes into play and there can be a number of issues to contend with when it is a matter of holding the person liable to account.
Your claim may be handled differently
One of the first things you may notice is that pre-existing issues are likely to impact on how your claim is handled.
Somewhere near the top of an insurance company’s checklist will be some questions aimed at determining whether the plaintiff had any pre-existing conditions.
The reason for this is clear, it is their sense that there is an opportunity to deny a claim altogether or reduce the level of payout considerably.
Their primary argument will be centered around the assertion that your injuries may not have actually been caused by the accident but were pre-existing conditions prior to making a claim.
It is always worth remembering that you are battling against an insurance company and rarely working with them, which is a mindset that you need to adopt at every stage.
Full disclosure
A fundamental point to make is that honesty is always the best policy when you are taking out insurance and making a claim, so you should always disclose pre-existing conditions rather than wait for an insurance company to discover the information.
It is quite possible that pre-existing conditions injuries could be worsened by an accident and if you have given a full account of your medical history there should not be any reason to be fearful about having your claim denied.
Seek urgent medical attention
A typical ploy adopted by insurance companies would be to try and discredit you where possible and not disclosing pre-existing conditions allows them that opportunity.
Another point to bear in mind is that you should get medical attention as soon as possible after the accident as any delay will also be seized upon by the insurance company.
You can definitely still make an accident claim with pre-existing injuries but it might be wise to get professional legal help to counter the tactics that insurance companies use to try and deny your entitlement to compensation.