The bills start accruing the second a car crash occurs. You and your passengers could have injuries. Your car may be in desperate need of repairs or replacement. Even other property in your vehicle, like your brand new mobile phone, could wind up ruined in a car crash.
All of a sudden, you have hundreds to thousands of dollars in bills and possibly no income if your injuries are serious enough. Like most other people hurt in car crashes, you expect the insurance of the driver who caused the wreck to take care of you. How long after filing a claim for medical coverage or property damage benefits can you expect a check from the insurance company?
State law requires a timely response to valid claims
Tennessee, like many states, has special rules that regulate the insurance industry. Without specific requirements, the insurance companies would have a much easier time defrauding both policyholders and claimants injured by policyholders.
Tennessee state law requires that insurance companies adequately investigate claims. If the investigation confirms that the policy should cover the injuries or damage, the company needs to make a timely payment or reasonable settlement offer.
Although there isn’t any specific timeline for things to go from early investigation to a check for the claimant, most people can expect a response within a few weeks or at most a few months after filing a big claim.
What happens if the company denies or keeps delaying your claim?
Your bills don’t stop piling up after a car crash just because the insurance company isn’t yet certain about liability or the amount of the claim you made. If the company keeps refusing to respond to your claim or if they deny your claim despite the damages you suffered, clearly having coverage under the policy involved, you may have a bad faith insurance scenario.
When an insurance company tries to deny a valid claim, delay making payments or otherwise refuses appropriate coverage requests, they break the law. Knowing that you can take the insurance company to court for bad faith practices will make it easier to advocate for yourself while filing a claim after a major car crash.