In 2014, there were 2.34 million people injured in car accidents on U.S. roadways, according to an estimate by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In most car accidents, insurance companies become involved quickly to assess damages, injuries, and fault.
Unfortunately, though insurance companies may seem like they want to help, they often keep a close eye on car accident victims in order to pay as little as possible in injury claims. The following are a few tactics insurance companies use to surveille injury victims.
Electronic Media
Many insurance adjustors will use recording devices, attempting to catch you off your guard. For example, an insurance company might send someone to surveille you using:
- Video recording. Insurance adjustors often follow claimants, videotaping their activity for a few days to verify the claimed injury.
- Voice recording. Insurance companies will make recorded phone calls to victims and ask questions about their injuries. If this happens to you, it’s important to refer the adjustor to your car accident attorney.
- Photos. As with video recording, it’s common for insurance companies to follow claimants around for two or three days to take photos of their behaviors while going about daily business like grocery shopping and work.
Meetings and Interviews
If you’re the victim of car accident injuries, it’s likely you’ll have to meet with an insurance company about your injury claim. In these meetings and interviews, insurance companies often closely scrutinize the words and gestures of injury victims, hoping to trip them up to avoid paying out on a claim. Unfortunately, insurers can use these recordings and conversations from these interviews against you.
Social Media Platforms
After suffering car accident injuries, it’s important to stay as quiet as possible about the accident and your injuries. This includes limiting what you post on social media, including posting comments, photos, and videos to:
- Snapchat
- Google Plus
Because these platforms are often perceived as an accurate picture of who a person is and how her life is going, the images, videos, and statuses you post can be twisted into something an insurance company uses against you in your injury claim.
What Can You Do?
If you think you’re being surveilled by an insurance company, it’s important that you limit who you speak to on the phone and in person—and most importantly, refer any curious insurer to your car accident injury lawyer. The legal team at Tavss Fletcher is here for you, ready to help you build your injury case and protect your claim from not so well-meaning insurance companies. To get started on your case, start an online chat with us today.
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