QuestionI was rear-ended by heavy truck when I was forced by the car driving in front of me to suddenly slow down. The truck driving behing me could not slow down fast enought to avoid the crash. After I talked to his insurance company I found out that on his statement his is saying that I switched lanes causing the accident. His insurance company is telling me that because of the conflicting stories they decided to deny my claim. The problem is that there were no witnesses. I tried to argue with the insurance company saying that, even if the other driver woulb be telling the truth, the conflicting stories should make me 50% at faul, not 100%. But they still denied my claim base on that. they didn't even requested a police report or looked at the damage of my car. Please advise on what I should do.
Very respectfully
Julie Brant
Answer
Dear Julie,
I am afraid you have run smack into a recent development in the insurance adjuster employment evaluation process. As reported on two Seattle TV stations within the past six months, insurance companies are tying the adjuster's bonuses and promotions to how many times they can get away with denying a claim or getting the claimant to accept a share of the negligence.
Since this tactic has nothing whatsoever to do with whether or not the claimant was actually negligent, it is an abuse of fair claims practices in most states, but most insurance commissioners are not doing anything about the practice, if they even know about it.
As you can see from my website below, we teach people how to submit, negotiate, and settle their personal injury claims for a fee of $100. But in the your particular case, I would NOT RECOMMEND that you continue with this course of action on your own.
The reason is that they have denied all liability, so your demand letter will fall upon deaf ears. The "lane change" defense is an old ruse, and the truck driver used it to his advantage. Unless you can come up with some kind of an affidavit regarding the lane change, they are not at all interested in even talking about a settlement, and that leaves just the avenue of hiring an attorney open to you.
Don't become discouraged since a good personal injury attorney will do all the fighting for you. All you have to do is first to find her, and next to cooperate with her staff to get all of your information in their record. Her office will do all the rest.
If you have trouble finding a good attorney for your claim, you can e-mail me at my website and ask for help. We do not charge the claimant or the attorney for this service: http://www.SettlementCentral.Com is dedicated to helping personal injury accident victims.
Just make sure to let me know where we met so I can remember who you are.
Best Wishes,
Doctor Settlement, J.D. (Juris Doctor)
Http://www.SettlementCentral.Com
