Can Insurance Companies Follow Me after an Accident Injury?

While we hope you are never involved in an auto accident, statistics show you have a one-in-three chance in your lifetime. It is upsetting and may involve injuries to you or your loved ones.

If the accident is the fault of the other party, you are entitled to recover what you have lost financially – medical expenses, rehabilitation, lost wages, and compensation for pain and suffering.

It takes filing a personal injury lawsuit to obtain that compensation. While many people hesitate to file a lawsuit against another driver because they don’t want to inconvenience them, it is not the other driver who pays. That is the reason we all carry auto accident insurance.

The insurance carrier may pay your claim, but they do not make it easy, and they are well known for throwing roadblocks in your way which are best addressed by an experienced auto accident personal injury attorney.

Insurance Companies Investigate Claims

The last thing an insurance company wants to do is pay you compensation and they will go to great lengths to keep their costs down. After all, it is a business.

Soon after an accident, you may find that someone from the insurance company is following you. While lawyers are not allowed to engage in this behavior, nothing is stopping an insurance adjustor from doing so.

It is up to the insurance company to determine what happened and whether they want to cover the cost of the accident. Their objective is risk management and to make sure you are not committing fraud; and, of course, to pay out as little as possible.

You do not want to talk to any representative from the insurance company for the other side, either at the scene or before consulting with your own attorney. That is because anything you say that indicates you are sorry for the accident or may have made a wrong turn, can and will be used against you.

The insurance companies even send out private investigators to perform surveillance on someone who has filed a personal injury lawsuit. The goal is to undermine your suit and point out your injuries are not as serious as you claim.

If you or a loved one are severely injured in an auto accident expect the insurance companies will gather information, including videos of your day-to-day activities to show you are not as injured as you claim and present it to the jury. They may follow you walking to the grocery store or in the gym. While this is upsetting, it is not illegal, unless they trespass on your private property.

You never want to encounter such a person or approach them or engage in conversation in any way. Do not exaggerate for the camera, nor do you want to try and appear less injured than you are. Be careful about what you post on social media, such as vacation photos zip-lining or doing handstands, as that too can be used against you.

This is not personal, though it seems like a huge personal violation. It is business and their goal is to keep the costs down and in turn, maintain profits.

There is a distinction between someone following you and taking video of you enjoying your vacation or at the beach and someone who is on your private property, in your car, your home, hacking your cell phone, or going through your papers at work. This could be considered stalking and that is when the police get involved.

At this time, it’s vitally important to have the guidance of a personal injury law firm with extensive experience in auto accident claims and on how to deal with insurance adjustors. One wrong statement can cost you with your claim.

Your Experienced Alabama Auto Insurance Attorney

While the insurance representative may seem like a nice person, you generally never want to take their first offer. It is usually not in your best interest but is in the best interest of the company.

Attorney J. Allan Brown has seen all of this before and understands how to navigate the system and guide you through your dealings with insurance companies. It is at this time that his guidance can help you maximize your recovery.

Call our office to receive a complimentary consultation to understand your options under Alabama law. Reach out at (251) 220-3199 to start the conversation.