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Can I trust the insurance adjuster?
We tell our clients all the time that the best way to tell that an insurance adjuster is lying is to check to see if their lips are moving. We have had extensive experience with adjusters in all phases of injury cases and we have never seen one single insurance adjuster look out for the interests of an injured person.
Why is this so? Well let’s walk through this together and I can explain the process along the way. First and foremost, the adjuster is not your friend, no matter how friendly they are to you at the beginning of the case. They work for a company that insures the person who caused harm to you and they will be very sweet and kind and soothing until you start asking for the reasonable compensation that you are legally entitled to for your injuries. Then is when you will see their true colors. You will find that once you begin insisting on fair compensation, or even to get your car fixed or your medical bills paid that your phone calls will be dodged, messages ignored and the person who acted like your friend at the beginning is now hostile and rude. For many people this insult after injury is what prompts an injured person to pick up the phone and call me.
So just remember, the adjuster’s job is to minimize the money the insurance company pays you so as to maximize the insurance company profit. Many times adjusters are paid a bonus for settling a case for less than the insurance company expected to pay. And once you sign the release and accept the money, you can never ever go back to the adjuster and get more money if you find that you are more injured than you thought.
The adjusters will tell you not to get lawyers involved. They know that insurance company statistics show that if you get a lawyer you get THREE AND A HALF TIMES MORE MONEY than if you do it by yourself. Did you know that it is legal for an adjuster to show up in your hospital room with a check and release to get you to sign away your rights in the accident? Did you know that it is illegal for me to write you a letter explaining your rights until 30 days after the accident? Does that seem fair to you? Well, that’s the law and it’s that way because the insurance industry has more money and clout with politicians than average people do.
So no, we don’t recommend trusting the adjuster. Find someone who is looking out for you, someone with experience and who isnt afraid to fight for you.
