Why Insurance Companies Delay Injury Claims in Maryland

Insurance companies delay Maryland injury claims because delay is profitable. Every week your claim sits unresolved puts pressure on you to settle for less and lets the insurer earn interest on money it will likely have to pay you.

In this article, we explain why and how insurance companies delay Maryland injury claims, how that delay damages your case, which deadlines keep running while you wait, and how Maryland car accident attorney John Leppler forces a stalled claim to move.

How Does Delay Damage Your Injury Claim?

Delay is not neutral. It actively works against your case in ways that are often difficult or impossible to undo.

Does Delay Erase the Evidence You Need?

Business security cameras typically overwrite footage within daysor weeks. Witnesses move away or their memories fade, and physical evidence like skid marks on the road disappears over time. Once that evidence is gone, no lawsuit can bring it back.

Do Gaps in Medical Care Lower Your Settlement?

When the insurer stalls, your bills keep piling up, and many injured people are forced to stop treatment because they can’t afford to continue. The adjuster will then argue that this gap in care proves your injuries weren’t serious, or that any new symptoms must be from something unrelated to the accident. This is one of the most common ways a delayed settlement quietly shrinks what you are owed.

Does Delay Give the Insurer More Ways to Blame You?

Maryland follows a legal rule called contributory negligence. This means that if you are found even 1% at fault for the accident, you could be completely barred from collecting any compensation, making Maryland one of the harshest fault states in the country.

• Why delay amplifies this risk: The longer an insurer has to investigate, the more time it has to scour your social media, reinterpret the accident, and find any piece of evidence that pins partial blame on you. In Maryland, even a fraction of shared fault is enough to wipe out your entire claim.

A pattern attorney John Leppler sees often in Baltimore-area delay cases is an adjuster waiting until medical treatment has stretched on for months, then combing through the gap between visits to argue the injury was never that serious. He pushes back on that argument with the treating physician’s own records before the insurer gets to build a narrative around it.

What Deadlines Keep Running While the Insurer Stalls?

There is a legal deadline called the statute of limitations, the last date you can file a lawsuit. In Maryland, the deadline for most personal injury cases is three years from the date of your injury. No adjuster will ever remind you this clock is ticking.

Missing the statute of limitations does not delay your case. It ends it permanently, even if the insurer’s stalling contributed to the missed deadline.

Are There Shorter Notice Rules That Could Trap You?

If the at-fault party is a government entity (a city, county, or state agency), you face additional notice requirements that most injured people don’t know exist.

Claim Type	Key Deadline
Standard Personal Injury	3 years from the date of injury
Claim Against a Maryland State Agency	1-year notice under the Maryland Tort Claims Act
Claim Against a City or County Government	1-year notice under the Local Government Tort Claims Act
Medical Malpractice	5 years from injury or 3 years from discovery, whichever is earlier

These government notice deadlines are entirely separate from the standard statute of limitations. Missing them almost always ends your claim, regardless of how strong your case would otherwise be.

What Delays Are Legitimate?

Not every slow claim is a deliberate tactic. Some delays are a legitimate part of the process and have nothing to do with bad faith. These include:

• Your medical records or bills haven’t reached the insurer yet

• The police report is still being processed

• Liability is genuinely disputed between multiple drivers or parties

• A witness is refusing to cooperate with the investigation

The problem is that insurers routinely use these same explanations to cover intentional stalling.

What Red Flags Show the Insurer Is Slow-Walking Your Claim?

When a single delay becomes a pattern, something more deliberate is happening. Watch for these warning signs:

• Your calls and emails go unanswered for days or weeks

• The adjuster asks you to resubmit documents you already sent

• You hear “we need more time” with no explanation or deadline attached

• A new adjuster takes over your file and you have to start over

• Your claim is denied without a clear, written reason

These are the hallmarks of insurance company delay tactics. Recognizing the pattern early is the first step toward fighting back.

Can You Sue an Insurance Company for Delaying Your Claim?

Sometimes, yes, but your ability to take legal action depends entirely on which insurance company is causing the delay.

Does It Matter if It’s Your Insurer or the Other Driver’s Insurer?

A first-party claim is a claim against your own insurance company, such as an uninsured motorist (UM) or personal injury protection (PIP) claim. A third-party claim is against the at-fault driver’s insurance company. The distinction matters because Maryland’s bad faith laws apply differently to each.

If your own insurer is unreasonably stalling or denying a valid first-party claim, you may be able to pursue a bad faith insurance claim against it. In most cases, Maryland law requires you to file the bad faith claim with the Maryland Insurance Administration before you can take it to court. Against the at-fault driver’s insurer, your legal remedy is a personal injury lawsuit against the driver who caused your injuries, not a separate bad faith lawsuit against their insurance carrier.

How Does a Maryland Insurance Administration Complaint Work?

The Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) is the state agency that regulates insurance companies operating in Maryland. You have the right to file a formal complaint with the MIA if you believe an insurer is mishandling your claim.

• What a complaint can accomplish: The MIA can investigate whether the insurer violated state regulations on fair claims handling. While the MIA cannot force a settlement, filing a complaint often applies enough pressure to get a stalled adjuster moving again, especially when they know a regulator is watching.

What Should You Do When the Insurer Keeps Stalling?

Once you recognize a pattern of delay, waiting is the wrong move. You need to start applying pressure strategically.

How Do You Document an Insurer’s Delay?

Keep a written log of every interaction, including the date, the adjuster’s name, and exactly what was said or promised. Follow up every phone call with an email confirming the conversation and giving the adjuster a clear deadline to respond.

This paper trail becomes your proof of insurance adjuster stalling if you later need to file a complaint or pursue your case in court.

How Do You Lock Down Video Evidence Before It Disappears?

An attorney can send a preservation letter, a formal written demand requiring businesses, property owners, or trucking companies to save footage and records related to your accident. Most surveillance systems overwrite footage within days. At Leppler Injury Law, preservation letters go out on day one.

Should You Refuse Recorded Statements and Broad Medical Releases?

Yes. Never give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver’s insurance company without an attorney present. Adjusters are trained to ask questions in ways that can be reframed to assign partial fault, and under Maryland’s contributory negligence rule, even 1% of blame can eliminate your recovery entirely.

Never sign a blanket medical release either. These broad authorizations give the insurer access to your full medical history, and they will comb through it looking for anything unrelated to your accident to use against your credibility.

When Should You File a Lawsuit to Force the Issue?

Filing a lawsuit is often the fastest way to break a stalled claim. Once you file, the insurer must retain a defense attorney and respond to deadlines set by the court, not its own internal calendar.

• What changes when you file: Defense costs start adding up, and many stalled claims see real settlement movement once litigation begins.

Insurance companies play the long game. Attorney John Leppler plays hardball.

At Leppler Injury Law, every client works directly and exclusively with John Leppler, from the first phone call through trial or settlement. Your case is never handed off to a paralegal or a rotating associate who barely knows your file. John personally sends preservation letters, visits accident scenes, retrieves CCTV footage, and manages every deposition and negotiation himself.

Insurers know that when John Leppler files a case, he is prepared to try it. John has substantial experience as lead trial attorney, and insurers take that into account when they negotiate.

Is the Insurer Dragging Its Feet on Your Maryland Injury Claim?

Every day you wait is another day the insurance company uses to build its case against yours. Contact Leppler Injury Law for a free consultation, and let’s talk about exactly what the insurer is doing and how John Leppler fights back. The statute of limitations is running whether the adjuster picks up the phone or not, and you cannot afford to wait.

Maryland Insurance Delay FAQs

How Long Does Maryland Law Give an Insurer to Process a Claim?

Under Maryland law, insurers must approve or deny a claim within 15 working days of receiving all necessary documentation. If they need more time, they must provide you with a written explanation for the extension.

Can I File a Maryland Insurance Administration Complaint for Claim Delay?

Yes. Any claimant in Maryland can file a complaint with the MIA if they believe an insurer is engaging in unfair claims handling, and the MIA will investigate whether state regulations were violated.

Can I Sue the At-Fault Driver’s Insurance Company for Bad Faith in Maryland?

Generally no. Maryland’s bad faith remedy applies primarily to first-party claims against your own insurer. Your legal remedy against the at-fault driver’s carrier is a personal injury lawsuit against the driver who caused your injuries.

Will Filing a Lawsuit Speed Up a Stalled Maryland Injury Claim?

In most cases, yes. Filing places the insurer under court-imposed deadlines and immediately raises the cost of continued delay, which typically accelerates genuine settlement discussions.

What Evidence Should I Keep to Prove an Insurer Is Stalling My Claim?

Keep copies of all written correspondence and maintain a written log of every phone call, including the date, adjuster’s name, and what was discussed or promised.

Do Insurance Company Delays Pause Maryland’s Statute of Limitations?

No. The statute of limitations continues running regardless of whether the adjuster is cooperating, and missing the deadline, typically three years, ends your right to file a lawsuit permanently.

Do I Have to Give the Other Driver’s Insurance Company a Recorded Statement?

No. You are not legally required to provide a recorded statement to the at-fault party’s insurer, and doing so without a lawyer is one of the most common ways claimants unintentionally damage their own cases.