Dealing With Insurance Adjusters After a Car Accident

What this article covers

What Is an Insurance Adjuster?

How To Deal With Insurance Adjusters

Considerations When Working With an Adjuster

Tricks Insurance Adjusters Will Use To Lower Your Claim

Investigation Methods Used by Insurance Adjusters

How a Lawyer Can Handle Insurance Adjusters on Your Behalf

How Our Las Vegas Car Accident Lawyers Can Help

Show More

Facing insurance adjusters is something all who file an insurance claim must experience. However, working with an insurance adjuster can be challenging, confusing, and unfair.

For this reason, we have written this article hoping you may not fall into any insurance claims adjuster tricks.

In this post, you'll learn from an experienced personal injury attorney with over 20 years in Nevada law who has helped thousands of clients deal with insurance adjusters.

What Is an Insurance Adjuster?

An insurance adjuster is a trained professional employed by the insurance company whose job is to assess damages and determine fair settlement for the injured victim and insurance company.

All Types of Insurance Adjusters

Not all insurance adjusters come from insurance companies; all forms of adjusters are:

• Company Adjusters - These are the most common types of insurance adjusters. They work directly with the insurance company and handle insurance claims on their behalf.

• Independent Adjusters - Unlike a company adjuster, independent adjusters are not employed by a single insurance company. Instead, their work is contract-based, and multiple insurance companies can hire them.

• Public Adjusters - Hired by policyholders (you), public adjusters work independently from insurance companies and advocate on behalf of policyholders during a complex or disputed insurance claim.

It's important to understand that regardless of insurance adjuster type, all adjusters are tasked with analyzing evidence and calculating fair compensation amounts for injured victims.

How To Deal With Insurance Adjusters

When filing an insurance claim, the insurance adjuster will present you with a maze of words in hopes of you accepting a lower settlement amount.

If you seek a larger settlement, you must have the map of the maze to ensure your personal injury case turns out in your best interests.

Understand Your Rights and Coverage

Before you contact your insurance company, ensure you understand the policy limits and coverage your insurance company has given you.

Pay close attention to things such as deductibles, limits, and exclusions. This knowledge will allow you to advocate on your behalf by enabling you to ask more informed questions and avoid being misled by the insurance adjuster.

Document Everything

As soon after the car accident, start documenting as much information as possible.

This information can include photos of the accident scene, witness contact information, medical records, date, time, location, and the other party's insurance company.

Robust documentation will make it harder for an insurance adjuster to dispute your claim, allowing you a smooth path to a fair settlement.

Communicate Yourself Clearly and Concisely

When speaking with the insurance adjuster, the most important thing to remember is to communicate concisely and confidently and stick to facts.

In addition, avoid making speculative statements or admitting fault, as doing so could result in your words being used against your personal injury claim.

One last note is to maintain a polite tone when speaking with the insurance adjuster, even if they seem aggressive or uncooperative.

Keep All Records of Communication

When you deal with insurance adjusters, they will record your statements, so you must do the same in return.

Having recorded statements of phone calls, emails, and written notes gives you stronger reference points when communicating with an insurance adjuster.

Know Your Insurance Claim Worth

Learn the value of your claim by speaking with a personal injury attorney. By doing so, you become prepared for settlement negotiations.

In addition, by knowing your insurance claim amount, you'll be able to see through the insurance adjuster's low initial offer and negotiate for a higher amount.

Seek Assistance

If at any moment you feel unsure or struggle to communicate with insurance adjusters, seeking legal representation from a personal injury attorney is highly recommended.

A personal injury attorney can provide guidance, advocacy, and representation to protect your rights during the claims process.

Considerations When Working With an Adjuster

When working with an insurance adjuster, you must consider these key considerations to ensure a smooth and fair claims process.

Be Prepared

Don't start communication with an insurance adjuster unprepared. Ensure you gather all relevant documents, such as the police report, medical records, repair statements, and insurance coverage information.

Being prepared will allow you to reference easily and present information needed to answer any questions from the claims adjusters.

Don't Shy Away From Negotiation

When looking to receive fair compensation, you must engage in negotiation with the insurance adjuster.

It would be best to have a personal injury lawyer who has been through negotiations with insurance claim adjusters before.

Seek Clarification

When working with an insurance adjuster, if any part becomes uncertain or unclear, do not hesitate to press the insurance adjuster and get further clarification on the claim process.

In addition, ask the insurance adjuster to explain the reasoning behind their assessments and any information or documentation used to come to conclusions.

Tricks Insurance Adjusters Will Use To Lower Your Claim

Whether your insurance company or the other party's insurance company, you can expect insurance claims adjusters to pull tricks to make money for the insurance company.

As a person filing an insurance claim, you must know about common tricks insurance adjusters try to use on people like you.

Quick Settlement Offer

A common tactic used by insurance adjusters is offering you an early settlement. While this settlement may seem tempting, it's crucial not to take it as, in reality, the settlement they offer is far below the value of your claim.

Downplaying Injuries

When explaining your injuries to insurance claims adjusters, they may try to downplay the severity of your injuries in hopes of saving the insurance company's money.

Two common ways insurance claims adjusters downplay injuries is by arguing that the injuries are minor or pre-existing, or they may attempt to attribute the causes of the injuries to something other than the car accident.

Dispute Liability

When explaining the events of the car accident, the insurance claims adjuster may try to direct blame onto you in hopes they can reduce the amount they're obligated to pay.

To prevent the insurance adjuster from coming to these conclusions, provide clear and consistent evidence of the car accident.

Use Recorded Statements Against You

When in contact with an insurance claims adjuster, your conversation will be recorded, and the claims adjuster may use that recording against you later on by twisting your words or taking them out of context.

Having an experienced personal injury attorney handle all communication with an insurance adjuster is the best way to prevent this.

Delay Claims Process

Another common trick insurance claims adjusters will use is delaying the claim process in hopes that you become frustrated or financially strained and end up accepting a low settlement amount or dropping the entire claim.

Investigation Methods Used by Insurance Adjusters

In large insurance claims, the insurance company will often utilize its team of private investigators to conduct investigations around your auto accident claim.

Knowing some of these investigation methods will give you the edge over the insurance company and allow you to anticipate anything arising from their investigation.

Reviewing Police Reports

One of the first things insurance companies will do is obtain a copy of the police report filed at the car accident scene.

Once they obtain the police report, they will review the information, which includes the date, time, location, and witness and party statements of the auto accident.

An insurance claims adjuster will use this information to understand the auto accident and determine liability.

Conduct Interviews With Other Parties and Witnesses

The insurance company may contact drivers, passengers, and pedestrians involved in the car crash to gather additional information on your claim.

Insurance adjusters will use these interviews to recreate the accident to determine liability.

Survey the Accident Scene

An insurance claims adjuster will often thoroughly inspect the accident scene to gather evidence firsthand.

This inspection may include photographing the car crash area, analyzing road conditions, and measuring skid marks or damage to surrounding objects.

Reviewing Medical Records

The insurance company will review medical bills and records to evaluate the extent and severity of injuries suffered in the car accident.

Analyze Vehicle Repair Estimates

Claims adjusters may request vehicle repair estimates from the auto body shop. The insurance adjuster will use this information from the body shop to determine the extent of property damage.

Adjusters will also consider factors such as the age and condition of the vehicle when determining the final compensation amount for property damage.

Conduct Surveillance

In insurance claims where fraud or misrepresentation is suspected, the insurance company may surveil the claimant to gather further evidence.

This surveillance may contain observing daily activities, social media posts, and other actions.

How a Lawyer Can Handle Insurance Adjusters on Your Behalf

Having an experienced personal injury lawyer on your side when dealing with the insurance company will alleviate stress, remove uncertainty, and significantly improve the final settlement amount.

Some ways personal injury attorneys achieve this for their clients is by providing:

Provide Legal Expertise

An experienced attorney will have years of legal knowledge and understand the intricacies of insurance policies and liability laws, allowing them to advocate effectively for your rights and interests.

Build Your Case

An attorney will build a strong case backed by evidence and expert opinions to ensure that the insurance adjuster will have no way to devalue your claim.

Communicate on Your Behalf

Lawyers are skilled communicators who will engage the insurance company head-on while protecting your rights and employing a strategy to get your maximum compensation.

Protect You Against Tricks

While insurance adjusters will use various tactics to minimize your payout, having an attorney on your side will ensure that these tricks are countered and you get a maximum settlement.

How Our Las Vegas Car Accident Lawyers Can Help

By connecting with one of our Las Vegas car accident attorneys, you gain an ally with years of experience.

However, not only do you gain an expert attorney on your behalf, but you also get someone who will guide and protect you throughout the entire claims process.

To get an attorney helping you today, call us at (702) 566-3600.

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