If you have filed a compensation claim with an insurance company after a car accident and you sense that you are being monitored, your intuition could be accurate. While it is most commonly seen in claims for compensation after car crashes, some insurance carriers are known to retain private investigators who can document details or take photographs about a person who was impacted and even injured in a motor vehicle crash. If this investigator can collect details establishing that the individual’s condition is not as bad as the accident victim claims it to be, the insurance carrier might end up rejecting the person’s attempt to receive compensation. Discover further information on how insurance companies spy on car crash claimants by reading on.
Insurance carriers are businesses and like all operations want to pay out as little money as possible. As a result, insurance carriers are known to examine every claim to some degree. The larger the amount of money arising from the damages in a vehicular crash, the more probable that an insurance carrier will take additional measures to verify your claim. One reason investigation occurs is that insurance fraud is increasingly becoming a more common occurrence. Insurance fraud is reported by the Insurance Information Institute to cost more than $80 billion a year.
Investigators retained by insurance carriers know what is (and is not) permissible under the law when following accident victims. For example, investigators are prohibited from trespassing on private property or entering a person’s house without that individual’s permission. You might not even know whether an investigator is examining you or researching your background. This is why it is a wise idea to understand how to respond following a car crash and what action investigators can lawfully take after a person files a claim for compensation with the insurance carrier.
Remember, you can count on the accident lawyers at the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP for experienced guidance following a car crash that resulted from the negligence of another motorist. Our lawyers have represented countless accident victims and helped them successfully reconstruct their lives following serious car crashes.
What Occurs During Investigations of Car Insurance Claims
During the process involved in verifying an insurance claim, an investigator might perform a beginning background check about you and then assess whether you previously filed an injury claim or lawsuit arising from a car accident.
Besides reviewing the details of your insurance claim and analyzing the report provided by law enforcement, insurance investigators might assess the scene of the crash, damage done to the vehicles involved in the accident, your activity on social media platforms, and your background. Investigators are not permitted to spy on calls or read your email without your permission. Investigators can, however, access various public files to find additional details about you. Some of the public records that investigators are known to review include police reports, criminal records, mortgage records, divorce records, marriage certifications, financial records, and professional licensures.
Some insurance carriers retain investigators on staff while others retain private investigators. These investigators seek evidence to establish that your physical condition is not as bad as you say it is.
While researching you, an investigator might follow you in public. The investigator might do this to determine whether you go to your doctor’s appointment. If you or someone you love is a participant in a motor vehicle crash lawsuit and participate in a deposition, it is likely that the insurance carrier will inquire about activities in which you now cannot participate due to your injuries. Investigators might follow you after these appointments hoping that you will engage in activities that you claim you cannot do.
Sometimes, private investigators also speak to your loved ones, co-workers, or neighbors. Acquaintances of yours will likely know about how your accident happened.
What the Law Says about Investigators Spying on You
In most situations, if an investigator remains on public property, the investigator is not violating the law if they want to watch or take photographs of you. There is no difference in the eyes of the law if someone watches you walk in a public parking lot and into a store. Additionally, investigators on public streets who watch you through open windows are likely not violating the law. These investigators will almost certainly be prohibited from taking photographs of you through a window, though.
Investigators are barred from watching a person in locations where that individual has a reasonable privacy expectation, though. This right to privacy exists in places like the bedroom, bathroom, your medical provider’s office, or your attorney’s office. You also are not required to respond to questions asked by the investigator or allow the investigator onto your private property. Investigators are also barred from presenting themselves fictitiously. This means that an investigator can not pose as a law enforcement worker. If you request that an investigator exit your private property and the investigator declines to do so, the investigator will be viewed as trespassing and you should contact law enforcement immediately.
The Length of Investigations Following Car Accidents
Insurance carriers in New York state are required to handle claims in a period considered reasonable, but how long reasonable it is can vary substantially between cases. One factor that can change how long the investigation takes is how many vehicles are involved in your crash. Following a serious crash, a person who has incurred serious injuries must wait until that person has reached the best possible recovery status to represent the various costs connected to the accident. Determining the full cost of damages you incurred from an accident to make sure you receive the greatest amount of compensation possible is one task in a lawyer’s investigation into your car accident.
If an insurance carrier declines to issue compensation on a valid accident claim within a reasonable period, the insurance carrier might not be behaving in good faith and it might be appropriate to take legal action.
Talk to an Experienced Accident Attorney Today
A person unfortunately cannot stop an insurance carrier from researching the background of your claim. One of the strongest methods to guard your rights following the most serious car crashes is to pursue the assistance of a knowledgeable accident attorney. At the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP, our lawyers have successfully represented accident victims in obtaining the compensation they deserve. We can also examine your car and recommend what you should do to avoid various errors that could end up jeopardizing the outcome of your case. If we think that you have a strong claim for compensation after a car crash, our lawyers can guide you in pursuing the maximum amount of compensation possible. Contact our law office today for assistance.
