Can You Reopen a Car Insurance Claim?

Can You Reopen a Car Insurance Claim

Car accidents are very unfortunate incidents in a person’s life. Most drivers have car insurance which they claim after an accident. The insurance company investigates the case and then settles the claim. However, if you are wondering about ‘’ Can you reopen a car insurance claim? ‘’

When you claim insurance and the company does pay you the claim amount. People often are not satisfied with the insurance claim process, and the amount they get as a result of the claim.

Dissatisfactory Insurance Settlements

People are often dissatisfied with their claim investigation, process, or even claim settlement. They think the company is not transparent or they are finding ways to pay you less than your actual claim amount.

The most common reason for getting a lot less than your claim amount is people have no idea how much their settlement is worth. Insurance companies get the benefit of it and settle for far less than you actually deserve.

One other reason for getting less settlement amount is not able to negotiate with the insurance company. Your attorney is not well educated, experienced, or just not capable of doing negotiation so you are not satisfied with his performance and end results as well.

Another reason could be an unusual situation during the claim process which leads to dissatisfaction in the end. Any mishap or displacement of vital evidence etc.

All these situations make you feel like the claim settlement did not do justice to you. So, you start thinking about reopening the car insurance claim.

Settlement Documents

This is a contract between you and the car insurance company where you accept that you have received the claim amount and the company is no longer liable to pay you anything. Not now, not in the future. If such is the case then the chances of getting your car claim reopened are pretty low.

So, the best practice is not to sign the settlement documents too soon after your accident. Only sign if you are completely satisfied with the insurance process and claim amount. Also, note that if your lawyer agrees to get the settlement amount but you are then no need to sign the settlement at all.

However, there are some situations where you can reopen a car insurance claim.

4 Possibilities that Allow to Reopen a Car Insurance Claim

As you know car insurance reopening is not simple. However, there are some situations where you can apply for a reopening of your car insurance. Let’s see the details of each scenario.

1. Insurance Company did not Treat you Well

There are some companies that try to save money by giving less money. They also practice bad faith and lie to their customers. Although they are bound to handle the case with integrity and honesty.

If you have doubt about the integrity of your car insurance company. Then you can file a case against them. Here are some scenarios where you can claim to reopen the insurance case.

The car insurance did not want to settle the insurance claim and they refuse to pay.
The insurance company is delaying the process intentionally by asking you to provide the same documents over and over.
Insurance companies do not communicate with you well or there is no communication at all.
The company is pressuring or bullying you to accept low settlement amount than you actually are worth.
Insurance companies refuse to disclose their company policies.
Misrepresentation of important facts in the processing of insurance claims.

2. Technical Error in Settlement Documents

The insurance company asks you to sign the settlement documents once you get your claimed amount. However, if there is a technical error in settlement documents then you have all the rights to reopen the insurance claim.

The error can be a misrepresentation of your settlement amount. Let’s say your company agrees to pay 54,000 as your claim but on the document 45,000 are mentioned. In such a case you can reopen the case even if you have signed the documents.

You have two options either you can request for the correction in current documents or you can entirely refuse to accept the settlement documents and reopen the entire case.

3.No Agreement Signed

If you did not sign settlement documents then you can reopen a car insurance claim much easier. If you are wondering about the integrity of your insurance company then you can claim a case against them by reopening the car insurance.

However, if you have a verbal agreement then still you have the chance until there is no paperwork done. It may not work all the time. If you have a verbal agreement with the company and now decided not to sign the settlement documents then it’s a good idea to talk to your lawyer about the whole situation.

4. You are not Responsible for the Accident

Most car accidents involved other vehicles and parties in the accident. There are chances that you are not responsible for the mishap but for the other parties. For example, your car collide with the other car and the other driver was at fault.

Sometimes accidents happen due to a fault in a car. If such is the case then the car insurance company will pay the price. You have the right to press charges against the other person and the car company in such situations.

So, these are the 4 situations where you have all the rights to reopen a car insurance claim.