Accident Attorneys In Florida
There have already been over 30,100 injury accidents on Florida roadways in 2019, and we are not even out of the first quarter. Florida is ranked 7th in the country in medical malpractice suits, and Florida saw over 1,300 dog bite reports last year making it the second highest in the nation behind California. The point we are making is that accidents, of all sorts, happen every day and many of these have a lasting impact on people’s lives.
In many of these cases, victims will pursue litigation with a Florida accident attorney in hopes they can receive compensation to help them recover from their injuries. While many times, insurers will compensate victims, all too often victims get denied.
Most people believe that if their case is denied that they have no other recourse and that it ends poorly and without a way to recover. The actual truth is, a denial of your claim doesn’t mean you have to abandon your case, it might mean you just need to readjust, gather better evidence and hire an accident lawyer in Florida.
What to Do if Your Claim is Denied
The first action to take when it comes to your insurance claim being denied is to review the letter and try to grasp why your claim was rejected entirely. Process the information solely and ask yourself if you can provide evidence to counteract their reasoning. If you can, you can submit for a denial against the argument they have made and appeal the decision. While you can certainly handle this on your own, sometimes asking an accident law firm in Florida to get involved is in your best interest. Having an attorney a part of the process may help the insurance company take the claim more seriously and handle it in a more timely manner.
Dismantling the Insurance Denial
You and your Florida accident attorney will work together to breakdown the denial and find the appropriate evidence to counter their argument, while at the same time, find evidence to support your case. This is a two-fold process and can require a lot of research and resources. Here are some of the common reasons a claim is denied:
- The Particular Accident Isn’t Covered – Unfortunately, it’s not until you’ve had an accident that you realize the gaping holes in your insurance coverage. You aren’t alone, it happens to many people. Get familiar with your actual policy, so this doesn’t happen again, find a new policy to get covered and appeal the case anyway. You and your accident attorney may be able to figure out a different angle that would help you receive compensation.
- A Coverage Lapse – Any missed payments, or missed filing deadlines may trigger a lapse in your coverage giving the insurance company a reason to deny your claim. Sometimes this is legitimate, and other times this tactic is predatorial. Don’t let this situation go by without contacting a Florida accident lawyer to look over your denial claim.
- Your Name Isn’t on the Policy – Today, insurance covers “people” more than it does “vehicles” or “mishaps.” If your name doesn’t appear on the policy, chances are your claim will be denied. This is a hard one to overcome from a legal standpoint, so do your homework to learn if you are mistaken or if they are. You might just have a case if you can produce a document or email where you asked for particular names to be on the policy and it was overlooked.
Appealing an Insurance Claim Denial
While this process can be done on your own, chances are that having a legal mind behind you might result in a better outcome. This will be especially true if you do not understand the reasoning behind the denial or if their argument is baseless and they are refusing to give you the time of day.
Talk with your insurance representative about their denial claims process and get the details about how to appeal the decision. After that, contact a Florida accident lawyer to help you sort through the denial so you can gather better evidence for your case.
Your case may need more supportive evidence that an attorney can help you get or can obtain on your behalf. Accident attorneys have many resources that are not available to the general public including experts and experience in winning tough cases. A good accident attorney will only take your case if they believe you have a good reason to appeal the decision. They will be honest with you so you do not waste your time or money trying to win something that doesn’t have a solid legal leg to stand on. It might be disappointing to hear that your case lacks these things, but at least you will be able to move forward.
If you have any questions at all about what kind of evidence you need for your particular case, reach out to a legal professional and start learning about what that looks like and if you can obtain it.
The Bad Faith Insurance Claim Denial
Insurance companies are required to act in “good faith” with their policyholders, and if you believe they have not done this with you, they could be in serious legal trouble. If they made you wait for a long time for an answer and then still denied your claim, you may have a legal case. If they negotiated with you in bad faith and still denied your claim, again, contact a lawyer. State and federal laws protect people from predatorial insurance scams, and an accident attorney in Florida can help you discover if this is happening in your case.
Ready to get to work on your accident case or appeal the insurance company’s decision? The legal professionals at David Graham Insurance Lawyers, P.A. look forward to hearing from you so they can help you recover faster or put the insurance company on notice. Call us today so we can get started.
For more information on Florida accident law, click here.