Low Speed Impacts

By Aline Miranda on June 4, 2012

Have you been told by the claims adjuster there wasn’t enough damage to the vehicles to have caused an injury? Its a tactic meant to intimidate you from seeing a doctor. Just because the damage to the cars doesn’t look bad, does not mean you can’t be injured.

The adjuster may tell you the insurance company will fight your claim and will hire experts at trial to provide a bio-mechanical analysis to prove the force of the impact was nothing more than a sneeze or backing up and hitting the curb with your tire (those are 2 of their favorites). Often, these so-called experts’ opinions are based on junk science. In car accident trials, defendants always claim the impact was so minor that it did not represent a mechanism severe enough to cause the injuries claimed by the plaintiff. Most of the time, the methodology used by such “experts” is pure speculation.

I’ve worked with many experienced forensic experts to reveal the flaws in defense “experts” testimony and to understand how to attack their opinions. On cross examination, a skilled car accident lawyer with experience in handling minimal impact cases understands how to attack the methodology and conclusions of the defense experts and demonstrates how their findings can be contradicted by the medical evidence of qualified, experienced, and unbiased physicians who have actually treated the client’s injuries.

Many claims adjusters routinely deny claims or settle them for a fraction of their full value with these tactics. Insurance companies and their adjusters are incentivized to lowball your injury in order to increase profits.

If you or someone you love has been injured, call an experienced San Diego car accident lawyer to find out about your rights. Call me for a free, no hassle consultation. Know your rights!