- January 2, 2022
- Car Accidents
Auto insurance companies may have tried to deny your claim or offer you a modest settlement after a crash in Buffalo. These companies make aggressive attempts to mitigate their exposure to losses by hedging their operational risks. You would be baffled to discover that these corporations take an extra mile by retaining professional private investigators on their payroll. Insurance companies may also take other measures to locate information which they can use against you after a crash in Buffalo.
According to the New York Department of Health, 5.6 New Yorkers are killed in unintentional traffic accidents every year. The highest fatality rate was for men and those aged 65 and older followed by those aged 20 to 24. In 2014, there were roughly 4.9 unintentional motor vehicle accidents per 100,000 inhabitants, up from 8.4 fatalities in 2001.
Why Are Private Investigators Hired by Insurance Companies?
Insurance companies take every step to prevent insurance fraud which results in cash outflows for them, therefore adversely affecting their profitability. This may also lead to hiked premium rates for their existing customers. Insurance companies attempt to hide fraudulent claims by utilizing surveillance footage or information to find an excuse to deny or undervalue legitimate claims to protect their profits, according to critics.
There are often weak excuses given by insurance companies for denying or underwriting claims against accident victims of the crash in Buffalo. Insurance companies maintain that if victims were injured legitimately there would be nothing to hide. Your claim might be entirely valid and legitimate, however, insurance adjusters will try and find some dirt and use that against you in court.
Are There Any Legal Limitations on This Type of Surveillance?
Despite the right of insurance companies to engage private investigators to spy on injured victims, they still have a boundary they cannot cross. Such P.I’s are never legally allowed to make threats to the subject.
Bullying involves, following someone aggressively or making threats, verbal or otherwise, due to another person’s actions, such as verbal or non-verbal threats. Additionally, private investigators are prohibited from violating trespassing laws if they wish to monitor someone. Landowners with occupied properties are required to let enumerators off their land if they ask the enumerator to leave.
Private investigators are strictly prohibited to photograph you or take videos of you inside your home in case of an open window. However, they are allowed to capture you while you are roaming around the city doing daily chores or routine activities.
However, New York law requires that at least one of the people involved in a conversation consents to the recording before a private investigator can record a conversation. Consequently, private investigators are not allowed to eavesdrop on confidential conversations and spy on the phone.
Do I Have Something to Worry About After a Crash in Buffalo?
A private investigator should not worry you if you have hired a lawyer and are following your doctor’s recommendations for your medical treatment. If you want the insurance company to adequately compensate you for your losses, we recommend you promptly notify your attorney in a case where you discover a P.I tailing you.
You are committing insurance fraud if you exaggerate the severity of your injury and then bowl or play with your children. You will need to explain to your doctor how much pain you have sustained or what measures you took to overcome the pain later that day.
You need to be aware of how the visibility of your social media posts could adversely affect your claim. When complaining, it is sometimes a wise idea to step away from your social media accounts, as you may unintentionally share or say something you shouldn’t say. In your messages, you should avoid making it seem like your life is back to normal, and that you are no longer restricted due to the accident. Your claim may go south if you post about exercising, hanging out with friends, or being on vacation.
In addition to the evidence gathered, your credibility also determines the strength of your complaint. Credibility is shaped by how you conduct yourself during the grievance process.
Do You Feel Overwhelmed After an Accident?
Accident victims need to work with a lawyer after a crash in Buffalo. They have many questions and may not know which road to take in order to get fairly compensated. We have helped several accident victims obtain financial compensation. No consultation fee is charged by our attorneys to guide you through the initial steps.
