Hi, my name is Kirsten Krueger and two years ago, I was in a car accident. I was stopped at a stop sign when the driver behind me slammed into my car. Due to my injuries, I had to spend a few days in the hospital and I was unable to work for two months. My medical care was expensive and without being able to work, I couldn't pay my bills. The car accident was stressful enough and then I had to worry about how I would pay my bills. After speaking with a car accident lawyer, it wasn't long before I was compensated for my medical bills and lost wages from work. I'm writing this blog to help others who have been a car accident and haven't received any compensation. As you read my posts, you'll learn how an attorney can help you if you're in a vehicle accident.
Insurance adjusters make their living by keeping settlement amounts as low as possible, especially after an accident injury. Their success and long-term advancement are measured by how well they achieve this goal. To this end, they have many strategies that are used for a favorable outcome for the insurance company. The following are three of the basic strategies that most adjusters will employ.
They will give you great sympathy
They will let you know, in the most compassionate way, they feel your pain and understand your situation. After all, they have been doing this for years, and know what your needs are. They are on your side and show sympathy for your plight. This is combined with a settlement amount that they attempt to sell to you as a great offer. If you point out some area of compensation they forgot about, such as missed work, they may be quick to adjust the offer, saying you're right. It was an oversight. However, this offer will be much lower than you have coming to you, but you will have no way of knowing this.
They will delay your settlement
If you are asking for more money than the insurance company's settlement offer, they will begin to delay your claim. An insurance company can wait you out, so if enough time passes, you begin to need the settlement money, and you are more likely to come around to the insurance company's original settlement offer. That first offer may be as bad as you thought, and a lower offer seems better than nothing at all, or at least better than waiting in the hope of getting more money. This is why an attorney is so important. An insurance company is not likely to use delay tactics against a lawyer because they can simply take an insurance company to court. With court costs and the uncertainty of a jury verdict, it is better to negotiate with an attorney.
They will attempt to dissuade you from hiring an attorney
If all else fails, a claims adjuster for the insurance company will attempt an argument that is geared towards accepting their offer without an attorney. The most common line of reasoning is that an attorney will take a third of your settlement money, and maybe more. This is your money, not a lawyer's. However, people with legal representation usually get higher settlements. This figure is after a lawyer's fee is removed from the settlement amount. The reason for this is they understand the full range of compensation you are entitled to, along with the dollar amount for each category. An insurance company is not going to explain any of this to you.
Never accept an offer from an insurance adjuster after an injury accident. Their offer is not in your interest. An attorney will work for you to get all the compensation you are entitled to in the shortest time possible.
Contact a local accident lawyer to learn more.
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