My Car Insurance Claim Was Denied: Now What?

Under Washington State law, your car insurance company is obligated to act in good faith to resolve claims. So, if you’ve recently had your car insurance claim denied, you may wonder what to do now. The good news is that you may still have options.

A seasoned car accident attorney can investigate the facts of your claim and help determine your legal options, including filing a lawsuit. There’s no cost or risk to talk to us about what happened with your claim.

Insurance Companies Deny Claims More Than People Realize

Car insurance companies deny claims more than people realize. Insurance agents may use unfair tactics to delay or diminish your claim. This can leave victims of car wrecks wondering how they can overcome the financial burden of medical bills and missed wages. On top of this, there’s a feeling of injustice if it’s your own insurance company that you pay monthly premiums to who’s denied your claim.

Remember, the insurance company is not on your side. Their goal is to protect their company’s profits by minimizing the amount they pay out in settlements.

Why Your Claim Might Have Been Denied

To be clear, there are times when the insurance company is within their rights to deny your claim. In these instances, you are probably out of luck and there’s not much anyone can do to help you.

For instance:

Policy lapse. You do not have coverage if you failed to pay your policy and it lapsed.
Vehicle wasn’t covered. In this scenario, the vehicle you were driving at the time of the accident wasn’t covered by the policy.
Not a policyholder. You aren’t named as a policyholder and can’t file a claim.
Missed deadline. You failed to report the accident within the policy’s stated timeframe.

However, there are other situations when the insurance company may have acted in bad faith. For instance, perhaps the company failed to properly investigate your claim or made it difficult to communicate with them. If this sounds familiar, you might have options.

Appealing an Insurance Claim Denial

If you believe your insurance company has made an unfair denial, you can make an appeal. This is typically initiated by sending a demand letter. A well-crafted demand letter should present compelling reasons why you believe your case was unfairly denied and should be reopened. The letter should also state that you are prepared to take legal action if the demand for fair compensation is not met.

With decades of combined service, our lawyers can handle insurance claim denials and the appeals process, including demand letters. We urge you to reach out to us about what happened.

Can a Lawyer Help Me with an Insurance Claim Denial?

When you bring a qualified attorney to the table, you send a strong message to the insurance company that you mean business. At Ladenburg Law, we can help in several ways:

Determine if you have options. We’ll review your submitted claim, denial letter, and uncover if the process has been handled unfairly.
Initiate the appeals process. Our lawyers will start the appeal by issuing a demand letter and pursue fair compensation on your behalf.
Represent you in court. Many times, we run into a dead end, even following the appeals process. Rest assured, we’re prepared to file a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf and argue your case before a jury or judge.

A skilled personal injury attorney can help level the legal playing field for you. Plus, you can have the peace of mind knowing that we are hard at work representing your best interests.

Learn More About the Insurance Process

One of our lawyers, Erik Ladenburg, has written an ebook called What Insurance Companies Don’t Want You to Know.

This book is full of FAQs we receive daily about how the claims process works and what you need to know. We’ll email you an electronic copy at no charge when you fill out the short form.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation Today

The insurance claims process is often complicated and frustrating. It shouldn’t be. Please reach out to one of our car accident lawyers about your denied insurance claim today. We’ll be happy to review the facts of the case and arm you with valuable legal information.

Call us to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation.