If you were injured in a car accident or other personal injury incident in Fort Worth, TX, you might have an insurance adjuster assigned to your case.
Insurance adjusters inspect the damage caused by an accident and investigate the cause to help an insurance company process claims. They may determine the value of the property damage, review police reports, and speak with witnesses.
Insurance adjusters work for the insurance company and often try to lower the value of an injured party’s claim to help the insurance company’s bottom line.
Insurance Adjusters Work for the Insurance Company
Remember that the insurance adjuster works for the insurance company, which is a business trying to make a profit. The insurance adjuster has likely been trained by their employer to lower the value of claims.
While the insurance adjuster may be friendly, your interests are not aligned. You want to seek total compensation for your injuries and losses. They want to help their employer lose as little money as possible on your claim.
How Do Insurance Adjusters Lower the Value of a Claim?
Ideally, an insurance adjuster would total the value of your property damage, medical bills, lost wages, and non-economic damages to determine the value of your claim. In reality, the insurance adjuster will probably use the following tactics to undervalue or even deny your claim.
Claim You Were at Fault
The insurance adjuster will probably claim that you were at least partially to blame for the accident to reduce or deny your claim. In Texas, you can recover compensation if you were less than 51% at fault for the accident, but your damages will be reduced by your degree of fault.
For example, if you suffered $10,000 in damages and the adjuster claims you were 50% at fault, they will try to reduce your compensation to $5,000.
Offering You a Low Settlement Check Quickly
Insurance adjusters may send you a settlement offer for much less than your total damages soon after you initiate a claim. You may be facing financial hardship, such as medical bills and lost wages, and be tempted to cash the check.
However, doing so may be considered accepting a final settlement offer, barring you from seeking a higher amount later.
Claim Your Injury Occurred Before the Accident
Insurance adjusters may review your records, social media posts, and statements you make, searching for evidence that your injury existed before the accident. If they determine that the injury predated the accident, they will try to deny damages.
Recording or Misconstruing Your Statements
This tactic can be particularly difficult to avoid. Most of us are tempted to give a statement to the insurance company because we want them to know we are honest and cooperative.
Unfortunately, some adjusters will misconstrue your statements and try to use them against you later. For example, if they ask how you are and you respond, “Fine,” they may argue that you were not in pain or physical distress after the injury.
Give them the basic details, such as the date and time of the accident, and then ask that the insurance adjuster speak with your personal injury attorney going forward.
Discounting Your Future Damages
Even mild injuries can have lasting impacts that will require ongoing treatment or cause lasting discomfort. You should be compensated for the lasting impacts of an injury caused by someone else’s negligence.
However, the insurance adjuster will try to minimize the future impacts of your injuries. You may need to seek a specialist’s opinion to help prove that you will require future treatment.
Discounting Your Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are the intangible impacts of an accident, such as pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and loss of companionship. They are subjective and often harder to prove than things like medical costs.
The insurance adjuster could try to minimize the value of your non-economic damages, but that doesn’t mean you should agree to the lower value they assess. A Texas personal injury lawyer can help fight for you to receive full compensation for your injuries.
Reviewing Your Social Media Accounts
This really happens, so don’t post about your accident or injury on social media. In fact, it’s probably best to limit your social media accounts while your claim is pending until you’ve spoken with your attorney.
For example, if you are seeking compensation for head and neck injuries and emotional anguish, but you post that you visited an amusement park with your family, the adjuster may use this to argue that you aren’t as injured as you claim.
Contact an Experienced Fort Worth Personal Injury Lawyer To Discuss Your Claim
At Parker Law Firm Injury Lawyers, we know how insurance adjusters operate; we’ll help you seek full compensation for your injuries. Get in touch with us today for a free consultation.
Our Fort Worth personal injury lawyers work on contingency, meaning we only receive attorney’s fees if we win compensation for you.
