You will hopefully never be injured in an accident resulting from someone else’s negligence. However, this can happen. Depending on the circumstances, if you ever are injured because someone else was careless, you can typically seek compensation for your medical bills and related losses.
Recovering the compensation for which you are eligible will often involve filing an insurance claim. Before doing so, strongly consider meeting with a personal injury attorney. They will review your case for free, advise you on your legal options, and if you agree to work together, provide you with the representation you deserve.
This will likely involve handling virtually all correspondence with the insurance company. In fact, it is not recommended that you correspond with the insurance company or an insurance adjuster yourself. Doing so could have a negative impact on the outcome of your case.
Why You Should Let Your Personal Injury Lawyer Speak to the Insurance Adjuster for You
It’s important to understand that none of the information in this brief overview is meant to suggest that insurance companies are inherently “evil” or malicious. It’s simply meant to inform you of the manner in which insurers tend to respond to claims when accident victims seek compensation for their losses.
First of all, insurance fraud does happen. As such, insurers tend to be on the lookout for any signs indicating that a victim may be exaggerating the severity of their injuries and/or losses after an accident. In some instances, this helps an insurance company identify actual cases of fraud. However, sometimes insurance adjusters are excessively vigilant, trying to find signs of fraud when there are none. You could thus accidentally make a statement to an insurance adjuster that they might inaccurately perceive to be a “red flag.”
Additionally, you must remember that insurance companies are non-non-profit organizations. They are profit-driven businesses.
They operate accordingly. This is not mere speculation. Reports from insiders have revealed that it is not uncommon for insurance companies to encourage adjusters to actively look for reasons to justify denying claims. When denying a claim entirely is not an option, adjusters are nevertheless still tasked with finding ways to minimize the amount of money they offer to claimants.
It can be very easy for them to achieve this goal if you correspond with an adjuster directly instead of allowing your lawyer to handle correspondence. For example, if an adjuster speaks with you on the phone and asks how you are doing, even if you are actually in pain, you might simply say you are “doing okay.” Many of us often say we’re doing well or feeling fine when we’re not actually feeling our best. It’s simply a knee-jerk reaction we might have to a common question.
In this context, though, this type of response could give an insurance adjuster reason to offer less money than you deserve. Because you said you were feeling well, your pain must not have been that severe, right?
That’s just one example of a tactic an insurer can use to minimize the amount of money they end up offering you. Avoid these scenarios by enlisting the help of a lawyer instead of working directly with the insurance company. At Russell & Hill, PLLC, our Washington State personal injury attorneys are on hand to prevent insurance companies from taking advantage of victims like yourself. Learn more about how we can help by calling us at 800-529-0842 to schedule a free consultation.