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What To Do if an Insurance Company Won’t Pay Your Claim

Grimes & Fertitta > Personal Injury  > What To Do if an Insurance Company Won’t Pay Your Claim

What To Do if an Insurance Company Won’t Pay Your Claim

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Wondering what to do if an insurance company won’t pay your claim? When you need money for medical bills and car repairs, it can be frustrating to have an insurance company refuse to pay. If the problem cannot be resolved in a few simple steps, it’s likely that you’ll need an experienced and aggressive personal injury lawyer on your side to fight for your rights.

As previous insurance company lawyers, we know that things don’t always need to go to trial, but there are cases against insurance companies in which you would need an experienced Houston personal injury lawyer from Grimes & Fertitta to represent you.

What happens if an insurance company refuses to pay a claim?

Insurance companies are for-profit businesses that often try to get away with paying as little as possible on injury and accident claims. They handle thousands of cases at a time and often treat customers like a file number rather than someone who needs their help.

They also understand that many people choose not to fight back because the issues are often too complicated, and the process often too cumbersome. Although this can be true and those feelings are valid, don’t let this prevent you from getting the compensation you deserve.

Wondering what to do if insurance companies are stalling? Here are some steps to try if the insurance company isn’t paying your claim before you hire a personal injury lawyer.

Request a denial letter

According to Texas law, insurance companies must respond to a filed claim no later than 15 days after receiving it and have around 30 days to actually investigate accident claims. If the insurance company denies your claim they will need to send you a denial letter. Ask for this letter if you haven’t already received it or have lost your copy.

The denial letter will highlight the reason for the denial. It could be as simple as you submitted the wrong paperwork or didn’t attach the necessary evidence. These errors and errors like them can often easily be fixed to get your claim approved.

The denial letter may contain insurance terminology and complex legal terms that are difficult to interpret. If you are unsure what the letter states or need help formulating a response this is a good time to get in touch with another representative at the insurance company or your personal injury lawyer.

Review your policy with a different claims representative

After you have received the denial letter, it’s smart to review your insurance policy once again to determine exactly what’s covered. Perhaps your progressive insurance claim far exceeds your policy maximum or your coverage has expired.

For claims without serious injuries, you can also request to have a new claims representative assigned and start the process over with a new adjuster. Agents are humans, after all. They may be biased and can make mistakes that the new agent will be able to catch.

Hire an experienced Houston insurance lawyer

​​If the insurance company refuses to pay you, has treated you unfairly, or if you suspect that you’ve been defrauded by them, you should reach out to an experienced personal injury attorney to go over your case.

As former insurance company lawyers, the attorneys at Grimes & Fertitta know all of the ways in which the big insurance companies attempt to nickel and dime customers during accident and personal injury claims. We’ll work to get you all of the compensation you deserve and prevent insurance companies from stalling on justice.

What are my rights during an insurance claim?

As a consumer, you have the right to complain to the Texas Department of Insurance about any insurance company and/or insurance matter and to receive a prompt investigation and response to your complaint.

You also have the right to choose the doctor and medical facility that provides treatment, so that you don’t have to see a doctor on the insurance company’s payroll.

Most importantly, you have the right to reject any settlement amount. Their first offer is generally their lowest offer, and it usually doesn’t cover all of your needs. If you accept it, it’s essentially impossible to go after more later.

What compensation should I be entitled to?

When suing for personal injury the amount of compensation you receive depends on the severity of the injury. Workplace injury examples like slip and falls, burns, and construction site accidents may not be awarded as much as neck injury settlement amounts requiring life-long treatment.

Common types of compensation in a personal injury lawsuit include:

  • Medical bills, including prescription fees, procedures, doctor visits, and rehabilitation
  • Long-term medical expenses for further procedures and care
  • Pain and suffering
  • Lost wages due to the injury
  • Property damage caused in the accident
  • Loss of comfort from the death of a spouse

Insurance companies may pay for your medical expenses, but they rarely include sufficient packages to cover long-term disability, pain and suffering, or other special compensatory damages that can arise in serious accidents. You may be entitled to one or more of these types of compensation, but you’ll never know until you speak to a trustworthy personal injury lawyer.

Insurance company won’t pay your claim? Call Grimes & Fertitta today.

If an insurance company has denied your claim or is stalling on paying your claim, your best course of action is to hire a lawyer with experience winning cases against insurance companies. You want a partner who is prepared for trial and is going to get you the compensation you deserve.

The Houston personal injury attorneys at Grimes & Fertitta used to be insurance lawyers, and have inside knowledge of the tactics insurance companies use to get out of paying you what you deserve.

Do not accept anything that will not cover the true cost of the harm you’ve endured. Call the Houston insurance lawyers at Grimes & Fertitta at (713) 224-7644 or contact us online for a free consultation today!

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