Is My Adjuster Really On My Side?

You cannot turn on the television without seeing a commercial about an insurance company. You can more than likely fill in the following blanks: "You are in good hands with ...", "...is on your side", "...the good hands people", "like a good neighbor...is there". Are they really on your side? Are you really in good hands? And are they really like a good neighbor? If you have been in an accident you may find out the answer is "no".

You and your insurance company have a contract. The contract is your insurance policy. The insurance policy states what the insurance company will pay for if there is an automobile accident. If it is listed in the policy then your insurance company will pay, if it is not listed they will not pay. As an accident victim you need to remember that the insurance company will do everything they can to tae advantage of this. The insurance company is a business. Their purpose is to make money. They need to make a profit so they can pay their employees, give bonuses to their CEO, pay dividends to their stockholders and to increase the business.

The insurance companies have adjusters and it is their job to take your statement, contact witnesses and look at medical records. They do this so they can decide what your case is worth. A dollar value is being placed on your case. They are looking for anything that will make the value of the case go up or down. Some of the things that could make the value of your case go down are if you have you said that you weren't hurt. Or if your wife said that you looked okay to her. Is there reference to old injuries in your medical records that you didn't tell your current doctors? These are what they are looking for. You will be paid what the case is worth unless they find something that they believe will lower the value of the case.

You must be very cautious at this point. The adjuster is friendly to you because this is the best way for them to obtain information from you that will allow them to lower what they will ultimately pay out. We all know that we speak more freely with people that we like. The insurance company uses this philosophy to get information that may not be favorable to you and your case.

After you have been in an accident you can be certain the insurance adjuster will be attempting to contact you almost immediately following your accident. This is while you are still hurt, on pain medication, in a vulnerable position and many times in need of money. They will try to get information from you that will help them defeat or devalue your claim. They will also try to dissuade you from contacting and hiring an attorney. Some of the things they will tell you are that the attorney will take your entire settlement, the insurance company will not settle with you if you hire an attorney, the offer made will be taken away as soon as you hire an attorney and that they are your friend.

This is not the case. The insurance company has a protocol in place on how the adjuster should handle your case to keep you from hiring an attorney. There are scripts that the adjuster is required to follow and answers for every question you might ask. They do this because they know your case will be settled for less if you do not hire an attorney. They have an exact script as to what to say to you when you indicate that you are going to speak with an attorney. They know that the chances of devaluing your case will become more difficult if you have an attorney representing your interests.