If you or someone you know has been hurt due to the negligence of another, you can file a personal injury claim and seek monetary compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance company. Unfortunately for those victims involved in accidents, insurance companies are more concerned about their profits and bottom line. For this reason, these insurance companies will always try to pay out the lowest amount possible.
Common Tactics
If you or someone you know has been hurt in a Nevada accident, you can seek monetary compensation for harm suffered. If you do file a personal injury claim, however, you should know the methods insurance companies use to try to avoid financial liability. Below are common tactics insurance companies use to minimize their personal injury payouts:
- Dismissing claims that are incomplete: The paperwork that is necessary to submit a personal injury claim can be complicated, confusing, and lengthy; insurance companies use minor mistakes or omissions by claimants as an opportunity to reject claims.
- Delay or neglect by claimants to seek medical attention: When an injured victim does not seek medical treatment right away, the insurance company will try to use this to allege the injuries are not so bad or were caused by something else;
- The victim was at fault for the accident: When the insurance companies can show the injured victim contributed in some way to his or her own injuries, they can reduce or eliminate their financial liability;
- Defendant owed no duty of care: If the insurance company can show that the defendant did not owe a duty of care to the injured victim, it can avoid having to pay out;
- Downplay the victim’s injuries: When an insurance company requires a plaintiff to be examined by one of its paid doctors, it is not uncommon for them to protect their bottom line by alleging the victim’s injuries are minimal at best; and
- Claim the injuries are pre-existing: If the injury or condition existed before the accident, the insurance company can claim they are the cause of the victim’s current medical issues and, therefore, not payable.
Damages Available
There are two general categories of monetary compensation available to an injured plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit: economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are awarded due to actual financial loss. Non-economic damages include other types of damages that cannot necessarily be calculated as a financial cost.
An injured victim who is hurt due to the fault of another can pursue monetary compensation for harm suffered. This includes payment for:
- The cost of medical bills;
- Lost past and future wages;
- Pain and suffering;
- Emotional distress;
- Wrongful death;
- Loss of companionship/loss of consortium; and
- Punitive Damages.
Personal Injury Help
If you or someone you know has been hurt in a Nevada accident, it is crucial to hire a qualified personal injury attorney to handle your case. The insurance companies have a team of attorneys fighting on their side, you should have skilled attorneys fighting for you, too. Contact Matt Pfau Law Group today to learn about your rights and obligations under applicable law.
