How Soon After Filing A Personal Injury Claim Will A Claims Adjuster Contact Me?
If you file a personal injury claim, the insurance company will send out a letter within a day or so. They will usually call you within a day or so as well to get the process started. They will ask questions immediately. If you want to maximize the value of your case, I caution that you don’t provide information that you are guessing about to an insurance adjuster. They typically ask questions to pin and corner you into the injuries that they want to eliminate. If an adjuster asks you about each one of your body parts and whether it’s hurt before you’ve actually been properly scanned and evaluated by a doctor, it becomes a very difficult task to overcome the indication that you weren’t injured.
Before you provide any type of information to the adjusters about the injuries that you’ve suffered, it’s very important to get medical treatment and evaluations.
Should I Directly Speak To A Claims Adjuster Or Through My Attorney?
If you have an attorney, the insurance company will go through your attorney. All of the conversations should be through your attorney. If you are doing them on your own, they will talk to you directly. The adjuster’s job is to pay you as little money as possible to make the case go away. In exchange for paying you money, they will require you to sign a full release of any claim against the party that caused you harm. You won’t be able to sue them ever again.
A claims adjuster will constantly push down the value of your case. They are going to analyze your medical records, evaluate the injuries that you suffered, and determine whether they were caused by the actual incident. As time goes on and your treatment is completed, there will be a discussion about the resolution of the case. They will hold to the fact that whatever your demand is, it’s too high. Ultimately, there will be a resolution on some dollar amount that their insurance carrier gave them the authority to provide for a settlement.
What Should I Avoid Saying Or Doing When In Contact With An Insurance Claims Adjuster?
Instead of talking to an insurance claims adjuster directly, I strongly advise that you hire an attorney. There are so many things that adjusters look for, cling on to, and use throughout the case that it would make it difficult to handle on your own. They are going to want you to provide a recitation of facts and injuries. If there is something that is slightly off, they are going to hold fast to that matter. It will then become very difficult for the attorney to overcome. The safest thing to do is to give the adjuster your attorney’s phone number and have them contact your attorney directly.
What Are Common Delay Tactics Insurance Adjusters Might Use To Sabotage My Case?
Insurance adjusters typically try to delay your case by running the clock. They are aware of the statute of limitations, and so, they will try to get you to accept a dollar amount that’s lower than you would normally accept once your time is running out. They know that it costs money to file a lawsuit, and that it could potentially increase the attorney’s fees you would have to pay out of your settlement. Sometimes, attorneys will require a higher percentage once a lawsuit is filed. They will stand by a settlement number knowing that at some point it’s going to be a little more expensive if you file. Other than that, adjusters sometimes will want to move faster on a settlement because they think that fast money is more acceptable to someone. However, it’s usually a lower amount of money.
What Other Tactics Do Insurance Companies Use To Avoid Paying Out On Claims?
The most common tactic that insurance companies use to avoid paying out on claims is arguing that the injuries are pre-existing or were not caused by the incident. They will get access to all of your medical records. They will look at every little scratch you had in your life and say that the new injury is due to that scratch from 10 years ago. The other area that they will attack is any delay in treatment. If you were involved in a car accident in November, and didn’t see any doctors or medical professional until May of the next year, they will say that by waiting, you clearly weren’t hurt that bad. They will exploit that delay in treatment to avoid paying.
Lastly, they take advantage of people that handle their own claim without an attorney. They know they can push them around. Most people are not familiar with the process. They don’t understand how an insurance company evaluates a case. As a result, they take advantage of the non-represented party and always offer a very low amount of money.
For more information on Dealing With Insurance Claims Adjuster In CA, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (626) 385-6303 today.
