Want to know some tips for your injury case that may greatly increase your settlement in a car accident, slip or trip and fall, dog attack, or any type of personal injury claim? Well, you’re in luck because, in this video, I’m going to be sharing these tips I learned over several years of handling injury claims. Be sure to stick around for my last tip, as if you do not follow this tip, it can completely kill your injury case.
Tip 1: Be Polite but Stick to Your Position
When you call and speak with anyone from the insurance company, they are judging your character and taking notes. They want to know if you are someone who is willing to take your case the distance all the way to a trial, if necessary. They really want to know how you will present to a jury. Are you someone who is going to present well to a jury? Someone a jury will like and want to award a large sum of money to? If you are rude or impatient with the insurance adjuster, that will give them the impression you are not someone who is going to be very likable in front of a jury. They will take note of that, and it will have a negative impact on the amount an insurance company may value your case. Being nice and polite does not mean you don’t stay strong and stick to your position that your case has significant value. So, be nice, but stick to your position. Don’t undersell the value of your case.
Tip 2: Provide All Evidence to the Insurance Company
Insurance companies value injury claims based on all the evidence in your case. For instance, the more medical treatment or medical bills you have, the more the insurance company may value your case. Thus, it’s crucial you provide all your evidence to the insurance company. Provide them with all your medical records and bills. If you were in a car accident and the vehicles involved sustained significant property damage, be sure to provide photos depicting the property damage of the vehicles to the insurance company. Just as a side note, in motor vehicle accident cases, insurance companies typically value cases higher the more significant the property damage sustained by the vehicles. If you have photos depicting your injuries, provide those to the insurance company as well. For instance, maybe you had a laceration on your body, or road rash, maybe you had to wear a neck brace for a certain amount of time, or maybe you had to use crutches or a cane following your accident. Be sure to take photos and send those to the insurance company.
Tip 3: Don’t Believe What the Adjuster Says
Listen, the insurance adjuster is not your friend. They will try to bluff you into thinking your claim has little to no value, or at least certainly not as much value as your case is worth. They will also say things like they will spend a lot of money and manpower to defend your claim. It’s the adjuster’s job to try to help make the insurance company more money and thus get you to settle for the lowest amount possible. So, when the adjuster tells you things like your case has very little value or we will never pay much money on your claim, don’t believe what they say. Stay strong and stick to your position. If you stick with your position and don’t fall for the adjuster’s bluffs, you have a good shot at getting paid a fair and reasonable amount on your case.
Tip 4: Send a Written Demand for the Policy Limits or an Amount Higher Than Your Claim is Worth
Always start negotiations with the demand that the insurer pay you the policy limits or at least for an amount that is higher than your claim is worth. Do not sell your claim short if the insurance company does not offer you the policy limits right after your initial demand offer. I can almost guarantee you that the insurance company is willing to offer you more to settle your case than their initial offer. In response to your initial demand, the insurance company will either make you an offer for the policy limits or make a lower offer and negotiate from there. It is not in your best interest to start off negotiations by making a demand for the amount of money your claim is worth. If you do that, it leaves you with little to no bargaining power for negotiations.
Tip 5: Do Not Accept the First Offer Unless it is for the Policy Limits
The initial offer made by the insurance company is never, in my experience, the largest amount of money the insurance company is willing to offer you to settle your claim. They will negotiate further with you. Do not accept their first offer. I’ve even had cases where I’ve eventually settled the case for 20 times or more than their initial offer. While you might not have that type of success in every case, I can almost guarantee you that if the insurance company has made you an initial offer below the insurance policy limits, you can negotiate a settlement for an amount higher than the initial offer.
Tip 6: Do Not Post on Social Media While Your Claim is Pending
Any photos or information you share online can be used against you by the insurance company or their defense lawyers to try to minimize your payout. Photographs or videos posted on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media sites can be harmful evidence. It’s best to simply stay off social media and not post anything while your injury claim is pending. It’s probably also best to stay out of photographs that friends or others are taking while you’re out socializing or engaging in activities if you think the photograph might eventually be published on social media.
Conclusion
Using these claim tips that insurance adjusters hate can be helpful to the value of your injury claim, but that alone doesn’t tell you if you have a fair and reasonable offer in your case. To know if the insurance company has made you a fair offer, it’s crucial you know how to calculate your damages in a car accident injury claim. And in this video about to pop up here, I’ll show you just how you can calculate the value of your car accident injury claim. Lastly, if you’ve been injured in Kentucky, remember: don’t wait, call Tate.
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