The COVID-19 pandemic has changed so many facets of our lives. Unfortunately, staying at home orders has kept many people from being able to go to work or enjoy their daily activities. While these measures have been necessary to slow the spread of the virus, they have also negatively impacted our economy. However, most major automotive insurance carriers have offered automatic rebates to policyholders. With so many people not driving, the risk to insurance carriers has gone down. While this may seem like a kind gesture on the part of the insurance carriers, there may be some negative drawbacks in the event you do get into an accident.
Settlement negotiations may have gotten harder
It is important to always remember that automotive insurance carriers are “for-profit” companies. Insurance carriers do not like to pay out large settlements. Even individuals who are clearly not at fault for an accident often struggle to recover the compensation they need from an insurance carrier.
Major insurance carriers employ aggressive insurance adjusters who thoroughly investigate each incident and regularly work to ensure the company pays as little as possible for a claim.
Now, with less money coming in through premiums, at least temporarily, the insurance carriers may be even more reluctant to payout fair settlements for claims. This could be a major problem, particularly as the economy begins to open up in and around the Pittsburgh area. Traffic will slowly begin to rise back to normal levels, and we can expect traffic collision incidents to rise as well.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, there were 128,420 total car accidents during the latest reporting year in the Commonwealth. Out of these incidents, there were more than 78,000 injuries and 1,190 total fatalities. While the statistics for 2020 may not be as dire because there has been less driving for months, we can still expect that plenty of people in the Pittsburgh area will require assistance from insurance carriers. This is especially true as we move into the summer travel months and through the holidays towards the end of the year.
You can be sure that insurance carriers will be using various tactics to recoup any losses to their bottom line, and these tactics will often hurt car accident victims.
Our team is ready to handle your claim
If you or somebody you care about has been injured in an accident caused by another driver’s negligence, contact an attorney as soon as possible. At Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman, you can count on our team to thoroughly investigate your claim and work to secure the compensation you are entitled to.
Our Pittsburgh car accident attorneys have no problem standing up to aggressive insurance carriers. We will conduct a thorough investigation of the incident and gather all evidence necessary to prove liability. Our goal is to secure compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering damages, and more. Let our Pittsburgh car accident lawyers get to work on your case today. You can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling 888-988-9467.