Being injured in a drunk driving crash caused by another driver while you are on your way to Tom Thumb or to meet a friend at Winewood Grill is a frightening experience. It is overwhelming to suddenly be dealing with serious injuries and the reality that you will have no income for months or longer while you recover. When you are most vulnerable, the insurance adjuster for the drunk driver could contact you—even before you are out of the hospital—with a barrage of questions and requests. One request that you need to be wary of is to sign a medical authorization for release of information.
Why You Do Not Want to Sign an Insurance Company’s Blanket Medical Release Following a TexasDrunk Driving Accident
While it is true that the insurance adjuster will need your medical records regarding your injuries before settling your claim, this does not mean that you should sign the insurance company’s blanket authorization for release of medical information. You should not agree to this because doing so:
Provides too much information.
If you sign the insurance company’s release, you are most likely giving them access to all of your medical records. This can give the insurance adjuster the ability to search through your records for prior injuries or mention of an ache or pain to the same body part in the past or other information that he can try to use to deny or reduce your claim.
Invades your privacy.
By signing the authorization, you are giving the insurance adjuster access to irrelevant medical information about you that may be private and sensitive. This is an invasion of your privacy, and you are not required to disclose this irrelevant medical information to settle your claim.
Weakens your case.
You may make it harder for an experienced drunk driving attorney to settle your claim for what it is worth because you are providing the insurance company with ammunition to dispute your claim. While your attorney will have strategies to defeat some of the insurance company’s arguments against paying you, he may need to compromise on some disputes that are potential weaknesses in your case.
You should never sign a medical authorization, settlement agreement, or other document provided by the insurance company without first having it reviewed by a lawyer. This ensures that you are not waiving important legal rights and are receiving what you deserve. He can also provide the insurance company with the medical records they truly need and not irrelevant ones that invade your privacy and hurt your case.
Have You Been Injured In A Texas Car Accident?
If you've been hurt in a Texas car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.485.8888 to schedule your free consultation.
We help car accident victims throughout Arlington, North Richland, Grapevine, Bedford, Hurst, Eules and all points between.
