Insurance adjusters cannot be trusted when they are handling your injury claim. I know this as I’ve seen it firsthand. Right out of law school, I started working on behalf of insurance companies defending personal injury claims in court. I spent several years seeing how insurance companies would try to take advantage of injury victims. The truth is that insurance adjusters are not your friends. They see you only as a number. Their goal is to try to minimize the payout on your case, which will ultimately lead to more money saved for the insurance company that employs them.
In this video, I’ll go over several reasons you cannot trust insurance adjusters in any type of injury case. Be sure to listen to the sixth and final way that I discuss how insurance adjusters will try to scam you, especially if you have been injured in an automobile accident, as that scam can completely kill your injury claim.
1. Acting Like Your Friend
Insurance adjusters will act as nice as they can to you to try to gain your trust, only to give you a lowball offer on your case and tell you your case has minimal value. Know that you absolutely cannot trust what the insurance adjuster says about your case. If they say your case only has minimal value, you cannot believe them. No matter how nice that adjuster is, know they are not your friend. They are doing their job in looking out for the best interest of their company. They want to save their company money by trying to get you to accept a low settlement.
2. Quick Settlement Offers
Insurance adjusters will try to get you to take a quick settlement for very little money shortly after your accident. Do not accept that small amount. This is a very common tactic employed by insurance adjusters in an attempt to save money for their insurance company. In most cases, it is not wise to accept a settlement of any kind until you are done with your medical treatment or reach maximum medical improvement. Do not let the insurance adjuster convince you otherwise and do not let them convince you that your case has minimal value.
3. Requesting a Recorded Statement
Insurance adjusters will try to get you to take a recorded statement. You have no obligation to give a recorded statement to an adverse insurance company. The insurance company wants you to give a recorded statement and hopes you will say something that can be used against you in your case, especially if you have to give a deposition or testify at trial later in your case. It is rarely in your best interest to give a recorded statement to an adverse insurance adjuster, so always refuse to give one.
4. Discouraging You from Hiring a Lawyer
Insurance adjusters will try to convince you not to hire an injury lawyer. The fact is that lawyers make insurance adjusters’ jobs harder. According to a reader survey by legal encyclopedia NOLO, those who hire an injury lawyer receive on average more than four times as much compensation as those who handle a personal injury case on their own. Insurance adjusters know it is very likely the insurance company will have to pay more money if a lawyer is obtained, and they also know there is a greater chance a lawsuit may be filed on the case, which would mean the insurance company would have to hire a lawyer to defend the case and spend money in litigation to defend the case in court, which can be costly to them. If you are considering hiring a lawyer for your injury case, don’t let the insurance adjuster talk you out of it. Every injury lawyer I know, including myself, provides free legal consultations and never takes a fee unless they win your case, so there is not much risk for you to speak with a lawyer to find out your legal options.
5. Surveillance
Insurance companies will hire someone in some injury cases to spy on you. They are looking for damaging evidence, such as catching you doing activities that you physically should not be able to do in light of your injuries, that they can then use to deny or minimize the value of your claim to ultimately force you to accept less money in your settlement. Some things you can do to protect yourself from the insurance company spying on you are:
- Always follow your doctor’s advice, especially if they put you under any restrictions.
- Refrain from posting anything on social media while your injury claim is pending, and especially refrain from posting any photographs and ask family and friends not to post about you as well.
- Do not accept any friend requests from someone that you have no idea who they are, as they can potentially be someone working on behalf of the insurance company.
- Investigators retained by insurance companies can spy on you in public locations or if you are outside your home. However, you do not have to allow them into your home or onto your property. Ask them to leave if they try to come onto your property. If they refuse to leave and you feel unsafe, call 911.
6. Signing a General Release
Insurance adjusters will try to get you to sign a general release. This is very common, especially in car accident injury claims. You may have only spoken to the adjuster about taking care of the property damage for your vehicle following a motor vehicle accident. They say they will take care of the repairs to your vehicle or pay you for the total loss of your vehicle, but then send over a release for you to sign. You may think the release you are signing is only releasing your rights to pursue a property damage claim for your vehicle in the future since the insurance company has only taken care of your vehicle so far and the insurance adjuster has not mentioned anything about your injury claim or you releasing your injury claim, yet a general release will release all your claims related to the accident, including your claims for injuries, medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost wages. Do not fall for this scam. Do not sign a general release unless you are being compensated for your injury claim.
Conclusion
Knowing you cannot trust the insurance adjuster in your injury case is crucial at the start of the injury claim process. But what do you do when the insurance adjuster makes you an initial offer you think you should maybe accept? Well, in this video about to pop up here, I’ll tell you the only time you should consider accepting the first offer in your injury case.
Lastly, if you’ve been injured in a car accident, slip or trip and fall incident, or dog attack incident in Kentucky, remember to don’t wait; call Tate.
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