Filing a insurance claim after a car accident is a common practice. However, most don’t know what happens when they file a claim. Your insurance claim will be handled by an adjuster. They will interview witnesses, gather information from police reports and other sources, take statements, evaluate the damage to your body and car, and more. The insurance adjuster’s primary goal is to minimize costs for their employer and give you the lowest feasible amount.
Car accident attorneys play a crucial role in ensuring that you receive just compensation and shielding you from money-minded insurance adjusters.
Tips For Dealing with Insurance Adjusters
You might receive a call from an insurance adjuster shortly after the accident. Generally speaking, it’s preferable to communicate with insurance adjusters in a concise, straightforward manner and with as little information as possible. Unlike them, you are not a skilled negotiator. Following an accident, you can follow these tips if the insurance company of the at-fault party gets in touch with you.
• Ensure brief conversations
When the insurance adjuster contacts you for the first time, take a firm stand that you will not reveal much information on the phone. You can state your name, contact number and address. Apart from this, you can choose to share very little information about your occupation or business but do not reveal intricate details like hobbies, yearly income, etc, as it could potentially be used against you.
• Acquire details of the insurance adjuster
Be sure to ask the name, contact details, and business address of the adjuster, every time they call you.
• Stay grounded
You must try your hardest to maintain composure when conversing with the insurance adjuster, even if you are unhappy with the at-fault driver or the way the claims procedure is going. Being furious and impolite to the adjuster won’t make things better. However, you may make sure your claim is handled more quickly by staying composed and courteous when speaking with the insurance claim adjuster.
• Do not accept early settlements
The defendant party’s insurance adjuster may seem to lowball the initial settlement offer. Even if the settlement seems attractive, do not give in. In most cases, the early settlement offers are far less than what you could receive for your claim. However, you can use these early settlement offers as a starting point for further negotiations.
• Strictly do not talk about your injuries
Even if the insurance adjuster digs into your injuries, you can state that you are currently receiving medical attention and end the conversation.
• Refrain from providing recorded statements
The insurance adjuster may trick you into thinking that you are required to give a recorded statement for the claim to be processed and compensation to be done. But this is not true. The main purpose of a record statement is to prove any inconsistencies in the story and use them against you. Hence, never give a recorded statement.
• Don’t go into details about the accident
Try your hardest to avoid talking to the claims adjuster—or any other party, for that matter—about the specifics of the accident. Allow the case’s facts—such as eyewitness accounts, accident reports, and security footage—to speak for themselves. The claims adjuster is more likely to uncover contradictions in your account to use against you as you discuss the occurrence.
Hire a Car Accident Attorney Today
Are you nervous and not ready to get all confrontational with the insurance adjuster? Is the idea of receiving less compensation giving you sleepless nights? The best way to combat such doubts is by hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer and letting him/her handle the tough situations on your behalf while you recover from the accident.
