Beware The Insurance Adjuster After Your Accident
When a car accident impacts your life, it's only natural to be puzzled about what you need to do. In all likelihood, your relief at finding the at-fault driver is insured is followed by the sneaking suspicion that you are about to get ripped off. To help clear up some of the confusion, read on and find out why your suspicions just might be warranted.
Making First Contact
Before you even have a chance to properly recover from your injuries, you will probably hear from the other driver's insurance adjuster. Many accident victims are in a vulnerable state after a wreck and this is exactly why the adjusters are so quick to pounce. They know that some victims are confused about what they are entitled to receive and have not yet had time to speak to a personal injury attorney, which makes them prime targets for their tactics.
Aggressive and Deceptive
The job description of an insurance adjuster includes some fairly innocuous tasks, such as gathering information about the accident, inspecting and calculating property damage, and reporting their findings to claims examiners who then make a decision about compensation. Unfortunately, what really happens is that the adjusters use tricks to ensure that they keep the claim amounts as low as possible. To say that claims adjusters on are not on your side is an understatement – they are actually supposed to gather evidence that is likely to decrease your compensation.
How to Handle These Calls
If you have sought the advice of a personal injury attorney, you have undoubtedly been told not to speak to the adjuster at all since they will take care of that task for you. If you do speak to them, however, do so using extreme caution. Follow these tips to ensure that you are not tricked into saying something that reduces your compensation:
1. Provide them with only the most basic of information: your name, address, place of employment, and your own insurance information.
2. Don't get dragged into a conversation about the accident, no matter how nice the caller seems. They are trained to be friendly and engaging which might make you let your guard down. Other adjusters use threats and aggressive questioning to anger you which might also prompt you to say something that harms your case.
3. Never answer an open-ended question from an adjuster. If they ask you to tell them about the accident, for example, force them to ask a specific question. Never ramble, answer questions that have not been specially asked, speculate or make guesses.
4. Above all, keep in mind that you are not required to speak with an adjuster for the other side regardless of what they may tell you or the settlement check they dangle before you.
Instead of wasting your time and putting your case in jeopardy, speak with a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after an accident. Contact a company like Cok Kinzler PLLP to learn more.
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