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How to Deal with
Insurance Adjusters
You have just been in an automobile accident. Your car is
damaged, you are hurt and you have lost days at work. You know that to be
compensated for your vehicle’s damages, your bodily injury and your lost wages
you will have to deal with the at fault party’s insurance. This article
discusses how to deal with the person you have to negotiate for what you are out
from our accident - the insurance adjuster.
The insurance adjuster can be an intimidating person. They are the
representative for a large insurance company. The company’s objective is to
collect in money not to funnel it back out. That is why the adjuster’s goal is
to negotiate a settlement as for as low a figure as possible.
You are just one person while the adjuster has a whole company’s resources. As
soon as the insurance company was alerted to the accident their insured was
involved in they start their calculations. They calculate how much your car is
worth and what the damages sustained are worth. With medical injuries they have
known amounts for the type of accident that occurred. With these numbers and
more they want to start negotiations as soon as possible with you.
Why would an adjuster want to settle with you so quickly? If you settle quickly
they assume you need the money immediately so to get the funds you will settle
for a low amount. If they waited to settle more injuries might be noticed, more
medical bills might arrive and more medication might be needed. Those “mights”
could add up to a lot more money the insurance adjuster does not want to hand
out if he or she does not have to.
What do you need to know when going toe to toe with the insurance adjuster? You
need to have your facts and documents in good order and very detailed. The
adjuster is used to doing these negotiations daily while if you are lucky, with
few accidents to your name, you will only have to do these a few times in your
lifetime. This gives them the upper hand thus that is why you need to be so
prepared.
Once you have presented your documents to the adjuster they are sure to have
questions. They will question why you sought medical attention. They will try to
relate this accident injury to past injuries if at all possible. They will
question your medical doctor’s opinions. Do not get into an argument over your
medical bills. You should point out that you are not a medical expert, that the
doctor is and his report should stand by itself. This is one reason to try and
have all medical reports as detailed as possible so the adjuster cannot read
into it, the facts will be laid out in black and white.
Once the medical bills have been found to be legit it will be the pain and
suffering that you have to prove. Again your doctor’s notes will be very
important. Make sure that you had the doctor note all the issues you encountered
from the accident. The severity of the pain should be detailed as well as any
prescriptions that have been filled to help with the pain.
The adjuster should listen to reason. They will be able to tell by this time you
have done your homework and are serious about getting a fair settlement. If at
this time you feel that the adjuster is still not negotiating a fair sum with
you the next step is to tell the adjuster you have no other choice but to find a
lawyer.
Deciding to hire a lawyer will hopefully make the adjuster re-think the final
figure given to you previously. If the new amount they offer you is fair this
will allow you to settle on your own. The adjuster might continue to stand their
ground at their unfair figure which will force you to hire a lawyer. If you do
hire a lawyer, yes you will have to pay them out of your settlement but since
lawyers are used to these type of negotiations most times they are worth their
expense.
Dealing with an insurance adjuster can be a difficult task. The best way to
negotiate is to be firm but aggressive. Be well prepared with plenty of
documentation of why you deserve a certain amount of money for not only your car
damages but your injuries and pain and suffering. Be persuasive in your
discussions and stand your ground and you should be able to come away with a
fair settlement.
Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes. It should not be
interpreted as a recommendation to buy or sell any insurance product, or to
provide financial or legal advice. This information is provided for information
purposes only.
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