A claimant that has never before been injured in a car accident might feel nervous about speaking with an insurance adjuster. Fortunately, the ability to go online and learn about the adjuster’s role provides any claimant with a most useful tool.
What adjusters know and do not know?
Adjusters know how much their insurance company is willing to pay to a given claimant, based on the reported damages. But no adjuster knows how much money a claimant is willing to accept for a given, reported claim. A claimant indicates in a demand letter what he or she expects to receive in the form of a compensation package.
What claimants should put in any demand letter?
• Give the date, time and location of the reported accident.
• Give the basic facts, with respect to who was at fault.
• Describe the treatment that has been prescribed for any injury. Describe the approach to be used for rehabilitating the injured body part.
• Include any photographs of the damaged vehicle.
Questions that adjusters often ask
• Does your policy cover this type of incident?
• Who was negligent? Can you prove that you do not share a part of the blame?
• What sort of treatment has been prescribed for your injury?
• Have you been told about any possible long-term effects?
Guidance for claimants that expect to be dealing with an adjuster
Stay organized. As per personal injury lawyer in Colton, you need to get the adjuster’s name and jot down what has been said during each phone conversation.
Do not be in a hurry to settle. It is best to have in your mind a figure that represents the minimum amount of money that you are willing to accept from the insurance company. Keep negotiating until the adjuster’s proposed offer matches with the amount that you are ready to accept.
Be persistent. Do not let the adjuster just sit on a promise that he or she has made. Ask for a date when you can expect a delivery of what has been promised. Sometimes adjusters do need to speak with a superior. Still, you deserve to receive some insight into when the superior should be answering the adjuster’s inquiry.
Be considerate. At the same time, show the adjuster that you understand how the claims process works.
Why that last piece of advice is so important?
That last piece of advice reflects what you might hear if you were to listen into a conversation made by a paralegal. If an accident victim had contacted that paralegal, then he might call the new client’s insurance company.
Paralegals are usually good negotiators. In addition, each of them knows something about the claims process. Insurance companies appreciate that fact; it warns insurers about risks associated with the need to deal with a lawyer.