When you suffer a significant physical injury in an accident, it’s essential to be careful who you talk to and what you say. I know it’s a harrowing and stressful situation, but you must understand the insurance adjuster’s role in potential claims.
It’s their responsibility to minimize it and, if possible, even make sure that you can’t claim from the insurance company. Understanding this will help you steer your way through difficult and tricky questions.
The fact that an insurance adjuster contacts you is a good indication that they know you have a strong case to claim from them. Let’s look at a few viable reasons why it’s better to talk to an insurance adjuster with your personal injury lawyer present.
Insurance Adjusters Will Try To Extract Information To Use Against You
Insurance companies are typically in the business of making money for their shareholders. Sadly it also means that they aren’t overly generous.
The primary way in which they can ensure making profits is to minimize insurance claim payouts. The insurance adjuster’s role in all of this is to resolve claims and, where possible, pay as little as possible. A well-trained adjuster will quickly come across as having a friendly and caring conversation with you in your distress. All the while, he is building a case against you to minimize, delay, or deny your claim.
You should avoid making a recorded statement at all times.
They will attempt to say “the call was recorded for quality purposes” or similar statements. They record you hoping you’ll compromise your case. Here’s a list of things you should avoid discussing with an insurance adjuster:
- Don’t admit fault.
- Don’t talk about your injuries.
- Don’t let them make you feel rushed.
- Don’t give out your social insurance number.
- Don’t talk about pre-existing injuries.
- Don’t provide references.
- Don’t be too friendly.
Insurance Adjusters Will Ask You to Sign Documents
Part of an insurance adjuster’s role is to get you to sign documents that take away your right to get better compensation. You can follow these tips to avoid doing so:
- Avoid signing any documentation if your lawyer hasn’t given you the go-ahead.
- Don’t let yourself be confused or coerced into settling for less than what you are due in compensation.
- Note that, before signing any documents, you wish to speak with a personal injury lawyer to allow them to review the records.
Insurance Adjusters Will Convince You Not to Hire a Lawyer
Keep in mind that an insurance adjuster might try and talk to you before you have time to employ a lawyer. They do it in order to convince you that they have a good offer for you without the expertise of a lawyer.
They will try to convince you that a lawyer will cost you additional expenses that’ll be deducted from your final payout and that it’s not worth it for the long run. This reasoning isn’t valid. Yes, your lawyer will receive a part of the settlement, but you will receive a substantially bigger settlement. It’s a fair outcome that’ll benefit you and your lawyer.
A good way to avoid this scenario is to tell the insurance adjuster that you need time to talk to your lawyer, and you will contact them later.
Remember that you can get a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer to explain your options on the road to recovery after a car accident and trauma.
There’s no better way of saying it, but insurance adjusters would want to find out how little it will cost to make you go away. They will tempt you with a quick, lowball settlement before you fully know your injuries and how much your claim is worth. Until you have a lawyer, they will be discounting