Posted in Car Accidents on April 27, 2026
Tactics that insurance companies use to deny or devalue Long Beach car accident claims include delays, questioning the severity of injuries, offering lowball settlements, and denying with minimal explanation.
How an Insurance Company Can Delay Your Car Accident Claim
An insurance company can delay your car accident claim by repeatedly asking for additional documentation beyond what seems reasonable, even after you have already provided it.
Insurance companies may take weeks or months to respond to concerns or questions regarding your car collision claim, which can result in significant delays.
Sometimes, insurers may fail to act promptly on your auto accident claim, which can make it difficult for you to get compensation.
Why an Insurance Company May Question How Badly You Were Injured in Your Car Accident During the Claims Process
An insurance company may request medical records or do other things to raise a doubt about the severity of your injuries from your car accident as part of evaluating or potentially disputing your claim.
Insurers may also question whether your car accident injuries are actually related to a preexisting medical condition as they contest your claim.
When an Insurance Company May Offer a Lowball Car Accident Settlement
An insurance company could offer a lowball settlement within days of receiving your auto accident claim. This settlement may seem reasonable, but it could be worth less than what you’ve suffered in losses.
Insurance companies may encourage you to accept the first settlement offer you receive, before you know the full extent of your losses. They may want you to approve the offer right away, even though it may not compensate you fairly.
Other Tactics That Insurance Companies Use to Deny or Devalue Car Accident Claims to Consider
In addition to the tactics listed above, others that insurers may use to deny or devalue car accident claims include:
Using Your Recorded Statement to Argue That You Accepted Responsibility
An insurance adjuster may contact you soon after your car accident, and you may accept responsibility for the incident. The adjuster could use this statement to deny your claim.
Arguing Your Degree of Fault
Per California Civil Code § 1714, in California’s pure comparative negligence system, if you sue someone for a car accident and are found to be partially liable, your damages can be reduced by your percentage of fault.
In your insurance claim, an insurer may try to shift the blame for your auto accident onto you and claim that you were speeding, driving while distracted, or did other things to contribute to the incident.
By doing these and other things, an insurance company may attempt to increase your liability for your auto accident while reducing your compensation.
Monitoring Your Social Media Accounts for Evidence
If you publish photos, videos, or other content on social media about your car accident or your recovery from the incident, an insurance company could use this to dispute your claim.
An insurer may utilize your social media content as evidence to show that you may be liable for your auto accident and injuries or that you may not have been injured as severely as you initially reported.
Bad Faith
An insurance company may deny your auto accident claim without a reasonable basis or a proper investigation. This may be considered denying a claim in bad faith, and it may be grounds for a lawsuit against the insurer.