Guarding Your Claim Against Insurance Adjusters
When someone has been injured in an accident, one of the ways they can seek compensation for their losses and injury is through submitting an insurance claim for damages. When reporting the incident to your insurance company or against the insurer of the at-fault person, you are likely to hear from an insurance adjuster. Knowing what to say, and what not to say, when speaking with an insurance adjuster can make all the difference in how your claim is handled. What you must ultimately remember is that insurance adjusters are not on your side.
Insurance Adjuster Objectives
It’s important to realize that when speaking with an insurance adjuster, they are not concerned with providing you a fair amount in a settlement. Instead, the main job of this person is to save their insurance company money. So, an insurance adjuster will attempt to find ways to diminish the true value of your claim and offer you as little compensation as possible, even if your losses and injuries are substantial. The objective of the adjuster is to get you to say certain things about what happened so they can then misconstrue them as meaning you don’t need financial assistance. Ideally, you will have an auto accident lawyer on your side to help you navigate this tricky conversation.
Stay Calm and Professional
Now that you know insurance adjusters are not on your side, you may be tempted to be rude or ignore them completely. While they can be frustrating or even infuriating, they are part of the claims process and cannot be avoided. As your legal team may suggest, like the lawyers at Cohen & Cohen, it’s better to remain calm and as professional as you can when speaking with an insurance adjuster. An insurance adjuster is well aware of their position in handling your claim and probably will not respond well to verbal attacks.
Details and Questions
The main job of an insurance adjuster is to investigate further into the accident and gather as much details as possible. This means the adjuster will be asking your questions about how the accident happened, what you were doing when the incident occurred, the type and severity of your injuries, and how your recovery has been. You must answer the basic questions, however, you do not have to offer more details than is being asked of you. If you give more information than is required, it could be used to misconstrue your side of the story. When explaining to the adjuster what your injuries are, it may be best to answer more generally until you know the full extent of your condition.
Talking to an insurance adjuster can be an intimidating experience, especially when you realize how much your words matter. Saying the wrong thing or sharing too much information can work against you, despite having the best of intentions to be truthful. It helps to have a lawyer assist you as your claim is being handled, who can guide you through the conversation with an insurance adjuster in a way that doesn’t negatively impact your claim.