The promptness with which the insurance company displays in collecting premiums is not reciprocated when giving out legitimate insurance money to the policyholders. During such scenarios, the policyholder should seek assistance from a car wreck lawyer who specializes in dealing with these situations, and can ensure that the policyholder or the family of the policyholder receives fair treatment and compensation.
An accident lawyer will be able to deal with the various intricacies of bad faith insurance claims and shady tactics used by these companies. The various bad faith practices often employed by insurance companies include:
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Failure to investigate the claims made by a policyholder
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Unreasonably delaying payments
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Denying a legitimate claim that fulfills all the criteria of the insurance policy
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Failure to defend the policyholder against a third party claim
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Plainly placing the financial interest of the insurance company above the legitimate financial claim of the policyholder
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Offering or paying less than what should be paid according to the terms of the insurance policy
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Using the previous claim history of the policyholder to deny the legitimate claim of a policyholder
Your personal injury lawyer will tell you about the different legal provisions protecting your interests in the case of a bad faith claim. The Texas insurance code requires the insurance companies to follow certain standards of conduct while dealing with such claims.
For instance, the laws in the state of Texas stipulate that insurance companies should process an insurance claim within a reasonable time-period. At present, insurance companies are required to send a written acknowledgment letter and begin an investigation, requesting all necessary statements and documents necessary to process the claim within 15 days of the policyholder submitting a claim.
In the case of a car or a motorcycle accident, your personal injury lawyer should be aware of the different Texas laws governing insurance policies, and should be armed with the knowledge of these laws.
In many insurance bad faith claims, the policyholders not only have a claim against the driver who caused their injuries, bu they may also be able to seek additional damages from the insurance company for their failure to honor your claim in good faith.