While today’s motor vehicles come with hundreds of valuable safety features, car accidents still kill an alarming number of Americans every single year. In fact, according to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, more than 42,000 individuals died in car crashes in the U.S. in 2021 alone.
If someone you love dies in a motor vehicle accident, you might be eligible for substantial financial compensation. The insurance company might have different ideas, though. Indeed, a company representative might try to misguide you into accepting an unreasonably low settlement offer.
Divergent interests
While money cannot bring your loved one back to life, a fair insurance settlement can help you begin a new chapter of your life. The insurance company’s representative is more likely to see your loss in strictly economic terms, however.
That is, for the company to be profitable, the representative must pay as little as possible for your claim. This might cause the insurance company to try to settle your claim for substantially less than it is worth. Moreover, the representative may try to induce you into making statements that harm your case.
Bad faith insurance claims
Even though it might be possible for an insurance company to misguide you without acting in bad faith, extreme conduct might give you an additional legal cause of action. Specifically, you might be eligible for additional compensation if an insurance provider engages in certain types of deception.
You should be careful about how you interact with any insurance company representative. Ultimately, though, if someone intentionally tries to lead you astray, you might have a legal basis from which to fight back.