It’s Just A Fender Bender
Many people assume that fender bender accidents don’t cause significant injuries. They see little damage to the car and believe the occupants suffered minor injuries. They think the accident couldn’t have been that serious because the cars were traveling at low speeds when the wreck occurred. All that’s incorrect, and insurance companies use this misinformation to avoid doing what’s right in minor car accidents. Below I explain why this assumption is false and why we vigorously challenge insurance companies who attempt to use this misinformation as a shield.
What is a MIST Car Wreck claim?
MIST is an acronym for “Minor Impact Soft Tissue.” They are car wreck claims involving so-called soft tissue injuries and minor visible car damage. Insurance companies classify many car accidents as soft tissue claims to avoid paying serious damages. If an insurance adjuster describes a car wreck as a MIST claim, then she sees your car wreck as minor, and she will attempt to pay little compensation.
What is Minor Impact?
If an adjuster sees little to no visible damage on your car after a car wreck or if the damage to your vehicle is below a certain number, usually less than $1,000, your claim for money damages is typically classified as a minor impact collision. Look out because a low settlement offer is coming in spite of the seriousness of the injuries. Injured victims should take these cases to trial to show the insurance companies they aren’t afraid of the outcome.
What are Soft Tissue Injuries?
Soft tissue is the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your body. A soft tissue injury generally refers to an injury to one of these above body parts. Another common name for a soft tissue injury is a whiplash injury. You also might see these injuries described as muscle strains, sprains, and so on. Soft tissue injuries can sometimes be cured by rest, ice, and pain medication, but for some people, these injuries can be excruciating and last a long time.
How Do Insurance Companies Handle MIST Claims?
While all insurance companies do not handle claims the same, for MIST claims, they usually either refuse to make you an offer, or they lowball you. They may offer you zero and bank on winning at trial. As we said above, because soft tissue injuries are hard to see – in other words, they are not broken bones, large ugly bruises, torn limbs, and so forth – they believe a jury will often rule in their favor. Their defense will usually be there are no visible injuries or there was little to no visible car damage, therefore, no one suffered real injuries. Both of these defenses are blatantly false.
If they do make an offer, it will probably be a meager offer, typically around $3,000 or less. If you reject that offer, then they bank on going to trial for the reasons above. Remember an insurance adjuster’s job is to minimize the amount the insurance company pays out. It’s essential you have an experienced car wreck attorney by your side to fight these giant corporations who spend millions of dollars bilking injured people and defaming personal injury attorneys.
If you have been in a car wreck that may have resulted in a MIST claim or you hear that term being thrown around regarding your case, call one of Dallas car wreck lawyers for a free consultation. We know how to prove your case for maximum compensation. Car wreck consultations with Corbett & Corbett LLP are always free. Before calling us do not sign any papers and make no statements to the other driver’s insurance company. You may be signing away valuable rights.
Call us at (469) 726-2626 to let us fight for justice on your behalf.
