West Palm Beach Personal Injury Lawyer Addresses 4 FAQs Regarding Insurance Adjusters and the Claims Process
If you recently filed a personal injury claim, you will have to deal a significant amount with insurance adjusters—from both your own insurance company and the defendant’s insurance company. No matter whose insurance adjuster it is, the individual assessing your case is going to try very hard to reduce your injuries so that your settlement is much smaller than what it could and should be. You must be prepared for this kind of “down-playing” of your injuries, and remain firm when they do try to offer a less-than-fair settlement.
Harsh negotiation tactics are not an insurance adjuster’s only methods of dealing with claimants. It is important that you understand exactly what you are going up against when working with an insurance adjuster if you hope to achieve a successful outcome to your personal injury claim.
Four Things to Understand About Insurance Adjusters and the Claims Process
Upon filing your claim, it is important that you educate yourself on the claims process as much as possible. This includes educating yourself on insurance adjusters. Four things you want to understand about the claims process include:
- What is an insurance adjuster’s job? It is an insurance adjuster’s job to achieve the most beneficial outcome for the insurance company for which they work. Insurance adjusters do not work for you, and as such, are not concerned about how much compensation you reasonably need to recover. It is their job to negotiate the lowest settlement possible given the circumstances surrounding your case. Because of this, it is imperative that you do not speak with an insurance adjuster until your lawyer is present; or, better yet, allow your West Palm Beach personal injury lawyer to do the negotiating on your behalf.
- What does the claims process entail? The insurance claims process is essentially one big negotiation. Once you file your injury claim – which should include the details of your injury and the amount of compensation you hope to receive – the insurance adjusters will begin their investigation and determine whether or not what you ask of them is reasonable. If they feel that it is not—which oftentimes, they do—they will come back with a counteroffer. The counteroffer is usually very low. It is your personal injury lawyer’s job to offer a counteroffer to their counteroffer. This process will go on until a settlement is agreed upon, or until the case goes to trial.
- What can I do to prepare for the process? You need to enter the claims process on the defense. We understand that the insurance adjusters are not the police, but they might as well be. It is an insurance adjuster’s job to seek out any little bit of information that might discredit your claim. If you say one wrong thing to them in negotiations, your entire claim may be dismissed. Because of this, it is imperative that you do not say anything regarding your injury without consulting with your West Palm Beach personal injury lawyer first.
- What are my odds of winning? According The Law Dictionary, 95 to 96 percent of personal injury claims are settled pretrial. During these settlements, the claimant walks away with some sort of compensation. However, only 10 percent of cases that go to trial end up winning. This is something to consider when negotiating with the adjusters.
Work with a West Palm Beach Personal Injury Lawyer
At The Pendas Law Firm, our West Palm Beach personal injury lawyers understand exactly how insurance adjusters work, and can guide you through the landmine of questions and paperwork that they request from claimants. If you have recently been injured, do not attempt to navigate the claims process on your own. Reach out to the personal injury representatives at our West Palm Beach law firm to receive the guidance you need to win your case. Call 1-844-200-0000 to get started.
The Pendas Law Firm also serves clients in the Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Daytona, Bradenton, and Orlando areas.