Vehicle Accidents - May 3, 2024

How Long Does an Insurance Company Have to Investigate a Claim?

Car accidents are stressful, not just for the adrenaline rush and fear you undergo in the moments during and immediately afterward. In addition to dealing with painful injuries and emotional trauma, you could also find yourself in debt thanks to the added financial strains.

Your hospital bills may be extensive especially if you were in a truck accident, and if you can’t go to work, how are you going to get money to pay for all the extra expenses? If another driver caused the accident, you can file a claim through their insurance. However, the insurance claim investigation duration is a time period you’ll need to sit through until this is resolved.

T. Madden & Associates, P.C., is a trusted law firm that specializes in representing injured victims in car accident cases. We understand that the insurance company investigation time frame may feel like an eternity. In this informative blog post, we discuss the appropriate time limit for insurance claim investigation and when you should consider filing a lawsuit.

Understanding the Investigation Timeline for Insurance Claims

The state of Georgia follows an at-fault model for insurance policies. Simply put, this means that when another driver has caused an accident that has left you with injuries and property damage, you will need to file your car accident claim through their insurer. It is customary for every insurance company to conduct an investigation into each claim. 

The time limit for an insurance claim investigation depends on the phases. First, when you report the accident to the at-fault party’s insurer, they will have 15 days to acknowledge your claim against their policyholder. After that, they have 15 days to conduct their investigation. The insurance claim investigation duration should not exceed 40 days. During this time, they should have come to a decision about the accident. 

What Could Impact the Investigation Timeline for Insurance Claims?

Sometimes, delays arise during the insurance company investigation time frame. Some insurance companies will keep you informed throughout the process or contact you for additional information while others are unprofessional and do not communicate. 

However, there are certain scenarios, particularly when a multi-vehicle collision occurs, where they may need additional time to effectively investigate the accident. They may also contest the validity of a claim. In these situations, the insurance company can make a formal request for more time to investigate. If this is approved, they could get up to 60 additional days’ time limit for an insurance claim investigation into your accident.

What Happens If the Decision Is Unfavorable to the Injured Party?

The insurance companies are given 15 days for the investigation timeline for insurance claims. Once this time period is complete, they must come to a decision on your claim. They could accept the claim and offer you a fair settlement. They could also deny your claim or issue a low settlement offer that isn’t sufficient to cover your financial losses caused by their negligent policyholder.

The more common scenario is when insurance companies eagerly try to protect their profits by issuing less in payouts or denying them altogether. However, just because an insurance company has denied your claim or offered you a low amount for your injuries doesn’t mean that is the end. 

They might offer too low a settlement or try to assign you some of the fault. Georgia follows a modified comparative negligence model, which means if you are 50% or more at fault for the accident, you can be barred from collecting any compensation. They may admit their policyholder was negligent by running a red light and causing a T-bone accident with your vehicle. The catch is that they may try to claim you were speeding and you should have your compensation reduced.

The insurance company needs to explain why they are lowering your settlement or denying it altogether. They may drag their feet during the insurance claim investigation to limit your time to seek legal recourse. The statute of limitations for filing a car accident lawsuit is two years from the date of the auto wreck.

Put simply, this all means you need a Georgia personal injury attorney who will not let the insurance company walk away from their obligations to the injured. At T. Madden & Associates, P.C., our attorneys for truck accident claims in Georgia and car accident claims will stand up for for the duration of the insurance claim investigation and fight to get you the money you deserve.