How Attorneys Help Bikers With Dismissive Insurance Companies

By Aghabegian & Associates on June 30, 2021

If you have a motorcycle, and get into an accident while on your motorcycle, you’ll quickly find out that bikers go through the toughest negotiations during accident claims. The negative press has pervaded pop culture and led to a bias against motorcyclists in our general society. Bikers are seen as reckless, dangerous individuals who constantly put themselves in danger, and insurance adjusters are quick to adopt these beliefs.

But the truth is that many bikers make safety a priority. You know the risks of riding a motorcycle. You take the precautions to keep yourself and others safe. Even so, you will probably face push-back when trying to file an accident claim. But a skilled personal injury attorney can fight to get you fair and proper compensation for your injuries.

Ways Insurance Adjusters Deny Motorcycle Accident Claims

Insurance adjusters are well-trained and experienced at peddling low settlement offers to motorcycle riders. Insurance companies make money by charging high premiums and paying out as little as possible in accident claims. When a biker submits a motorcycle accident claim, he or she can expect to encounter the following tactics from insurance adjusters.

1. Appearing Sympathetic or Friendly

Insurance adjusters like to make you believe they have your best interests in a claim. An adjuster may appear friendly on the phone or sympathetic to your injuries, but they are only interested in saving money and keeping their profits high. To that end, they will seem as caring as possible to get you to accept a lowball settlement offer.

But they will not tell you that the offer is lower than normal, or that it doesn’t include your lost wages. Instead, they will act like they are offering you a bonus or that their offer is the best they can do. The faster they can get you to take a deal, the nicer they’ll appear.

2. Playing on Bias

In addition to appearing sympathetic, insurance companies will touch on the bias against motorcyclists to get you to sign an agreement. They might say things like “You won’t get this kind of offer from other insurance companies” or “This is the best we can do” or “This is more than most motorcyclists get” – all the while implying that you will have a harder time if you go to court. Insurance adjusters know that juries are biased against motorcyclists, and they will hang that over your head to get you to accept a weak deal.

3. Blaming Riders for Accidents

If push comes to shove, an insurance adjuster is not afraid to become combative. In the most charming way possible, they may imply or outright say that you are at fault for your injuries. They may cite the police report and say that it is not clear that the other driver hit you, or that the police do not appear to be on your side. They may bring up your old driving records and use things like speeding tickets or old crash reports to make it seem like you are a habitual negligent driver. It doesn’t matter if you were in no way at fault for the collision; the insurance adjuster just wants an excuse to blame you and offer a low settlement – or deny your claim altogether.

3. Calling Injuries “Minor”

Another common tactic in accident claims is acting like the victim’s injuries are minor. Insurance adjusters will look at your medical reports and argue that things like back pain, road rash, or soft-tissue damage are not as serious as you think and do not require long-term treatment… or compensation. Even with serious injuries, they may haggle over the costs of treatment or demand you see an “independent medical expert” who is likely to agree with them.

4. Denying Coverage for Prior Injuries

If you are older, there is a good chance that the insurance adjuster will try to access your old medical records or job history to find any evidence of a prior injury, such as a broken bone. They may then try to argue that your new injuries were caused by another accident and tell you that your claim cannot include preexisting conditions. While this may or may not be true, they just want to get you to doubt your standing and accept a low settlement.

What Aghabegian & Associates, PC, Can Do for You

When dealing with a dismissive insurance company, it is important to have an aggressive attorney at your side. At Aghabegian & Associates, PC, we have more than 40 years of combined experience fighting for motorcyclists throughout the San Fernando Valley. We have seen firsthand how devastating a run-in with a negligent driver can be for a biker, which is why we are dedicated to getting you compensation after a collision.

If you bring your case to use, we can counter all of the insurance adjuster’s tactics to get you the highest possible payout. We know insurance adjusters and can fight for your best interests by:

• Reviewing your medical bills, paystubs, and other financial documents to calculate the full costs of your injuries.
• Securing key evidence in your case, including medical records, police reports, and accident footage.
• Evaluating all available insurance policies, including your own, to find other sources of compensation.
• Speaking to experts about your accident, such as medical professionals, investigators, and accident reconstructionists.
• Handling all communication with the insurance adjuster.
• Negotiating for the highest possible settlement.
• Representing you in a personal injury trial, if necessary.

If you were injured while on your motorcycle by a negligent driver, do not go into a claim alone. Let the Glendale personal injury attorneys at Aghabegian & Associates, PC, fight to get you compensation. To discuss your case in a free consultation, call us at (818) 507-4311.