The Top Secrets Insurance Adjusters Don’t Want You to Know About Your Car Accident Claim

When you’ve been involved in a car accident, you’ll inevitably have to deal with insurance agents at some point or another on your road to recovery. And while many insurance adjusters may come off as friendly or cordial, oftentimes, it is because they have ulterior motives about seeing your claim succeed.  

An insurance adjuster cares about protecting their bottom line and paying you as little as possible for your claim. It’s vital to remember they are not your friend— they are there to protect the interests of their company.

What secrets do you need to know to best protect yourself against manipulative insurance tactics? Let’s talk about some of the most common secrets insurance companies don’t want you to know about your car accident claim. 

You Are Not Required to Make a Recorded Statement

One of the most common tricks of the insurance trade is to convince car accident victims to record a statement about the circumstances of their incident. While this may seem like a harmless request, what they are actually trying to do is find any inconsistencies in your statement to use it against you. Insurance adjusters are carefully trained in a variety of tactics to illicit responses which can easily be used to reject your claim. 

For instance, they may ask how you’re feeling after the accident. If you respond with something like “much better” or “pretty good,” they may use that to devalue the strength of your claim. 

And their dirty little secret is that you were never obligated to give them a statement in the first place. In fact, you should never give them a recorded statement if you want your case to stand its best chance at recovering the full scale of your financial losses. Always direct the insurance company to your lawyer, no matter the situation, so that you don’t accidentally jeopardize your case. 

Always Hire an Attorney 

It’s not entirely uncommon for insurance agents to try everything in their power to dissuade you from hiring an attorney. They may tell you that an attorney is unnecessary or that hiring one won’t help your case. However, the truth of the matter is that car accident victims who hire a personal injury attorney typically receive 2 to 3 times more money than those who don’t. 

So don’t fall for anything your insurance agent says about hiring a lawyer— you will get the justice your claim deserves with an attorney.

An Insurance Adjuster May Intentionally Lie to You

Insurance adjusters are like master poker players, bluffing and peacocking at every turn to catch you hook, line, and sinker into believing whatever they’re saying. Do yourself a favor, and don’t fall for it. 

An adjuster may make bold statements such as, “This is my best offer,” or “I can make you an offer, but it’s only good for the next two days.” However, without a lawyer by your side, it can be hard to distinguish between what’s true and what’s an attempt to see if you’ll fall for an offer less than what your claim is actually worth. 

Having the negotiating power of a legal professional on your team can cut through all of the BS an adjuster may attempt to throw your way and ensure your claim and damages aren’t being devalued by scrupulous insurance companies. 

Insurance Agencies Can Use Their Own Doctors to Try and Refute Your Claim

One of the reasons why it’s incredibly essential to equip yourself with a skilled personal injury attorney is that most car insurance companies will use their own doctors to refute the validity of your claims and pay you less. If the insurance company receives your medical records, they will ask their doctors to review your medical files in an effort to prove that your injury was either caused by something else or is not as bad as you are claiming it is. 

When You Deal with an Insurance Adjuster, You’re Also Dealing with Their Lawyers

Although the agent you’re speaking with may not be a trained lawyer, you can guarantee that they’ve still had extensive training by lawyers who know the ins and outs of the law. And you can also guarantee that they’ve got a team of lawyers on hand to prevent legal missteps as they negotiate with you to try and get away with paying you the least amount of money possible. 

They May Try to Transfer Your Claim to a “Team” of Adjusters

Sometimes, insurance companies will attempt to hand your claim over to a “team” of adjusters. However, team adjusters have the least authority to pay you money, so it’s best to refuse to have your claim handled by them. Most team adjusters will try to lowball your claim and pay you the lowest possible money, but once you file a car accident lawsuit, your claim will be reassigned to an individual adjuster who has greater authority to pay you a higher amount of money for your claim.

Conclusion

Insurance adjusters are often pleasant to deal with— and for a good reason. They’re trying to get you to agree to their terms, regardless of whether or not it’s a fair offer for your claim. As much as it may seem like they’re on your side, it’s critical to remember that they protect their company’s best interests, and your interests likely don’t align with theirs. 

Having a knowledgeable personal injury attorney on your side ensures you won’t fall victim to the insurance company’s sneaky tactics. A lawyer will fight for your rightful settlement offer and make sure that your rights are dutifully protected throughout the legal process.