How to Scare an Insurance Adjuster
When you’ve been injured in an accident through no fault of your own, your options for pursuing compensation are filing a lawsuit or filing a claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company. When you file a claim, you will deal with an insurance adjuster whose job is to save the company as much money as possible. Adjusters are professional negotiators who will review the documents provided and try to settle for less than they should pay.
What Insurance Adjusters Do
An insurance adjuster assesses the claimant’s accident-related losses to determine how much the insurance company will pay. The adjuster will be assigned to your claim and be tasked with investigating the circumstances of your accident and the extent of your losses. Unfortunately, an adjuster might:
- Offer low settlements: Insurance adjusters usually start offering much less than they are authorized to pay or should pay to the injured party. You are not required to accept the settlement that the insurance adjusters offer. However, you should make a counteroffer and negotiate to pursue the compensation you deserve.
- Perform partial investigations: Adjusters are busy, and they’re human. It is possible that even an adjuster with the best of intentions will not take the time to go over a claim file in thorough detail. They might briefly review claims, pictures, and medical records and throw a low number offer on the table based on their partial investigation.
- Delay settlement offers: The timeframe in which an adjuster makes a settlement offer will vary with the circumstances and severity of the accident. Once your treatment is concluded, you will send the adjuster a demand letter outlining the details of your circumstances and supporting your claim for compensation. The adjuster will determine whether to make an offer and how much that offer will be. They might engage in delaying tactics to try to get you to accept a lowball settlement out of desperation when they finally make an offer. They might try to talk you out of using an attorney, claiming the attorney won’t make any difference in the size of the settlement you could receive.
You can do several things to ensure that your interests are protected and preserved during negotiations for an insurance settlement.
Gather All of Your Documents
Whenever you receive treatment for your injuries, get an appraisal for work to repair or replace your property that was damaged in the accident, or get any other paperwork connected to your accident-related injuries, keep it. Make sure that every doctor’s visit or prescription is accounted for when you present your documentation to the insurance company to support your claim. Your medical records and other documents can prove that your life has been substantially altered by the injuries you suffered, which can increase the compensation you deserve.
You could maintain a pain journal after the accident in which you make a daily record of your level of pain, how the accident has affected your ability to perform your usual daily activities, and your mental health has been affected. Gathering and maintaining a record of all costs and effects the incident had on your life can help you get the compensation you deserve from the insurance company. An insurance adjuster could be intimidated by your meticulous level of attention to detail and understand that they can’t try to get away with paying you less than you deserve.
Document Conversations with the Insurance Adjuster
Another way to keep an insurance adjuster in line is to document conversations you have with them. Being able to refer back to a statement they made with a date and time will show them you mean business, and their tactics won’t work on you.
Hire a Personal Injury Attorney
An experienced personal injury attorney will understand how to deal with an insurance adjuster and can handle all communications regarding the incident on your behalf. When the adjuster realizes you’ve hired a high-quality, successful attorney to handle your case, they could be scared of going to court and losing the case, which could make them more likely to offer a reasonable settlement. An attorney will work to get you the compensation you deserve. They understand how to review your claim and make detailed demands that are likely to get a response from the insurance company.
Contact Us Today
If you were injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault and had issues settling with the at-fault party’s insurance company, contact the experienced Augusta personal injury attorneys of Chris Hudson Law Group. We will review the facts of your case and discuss your legal options with you. Contact us today by calling us at (706) 690-4613 or through our online form.
