Useful Tips for Talking to Your Insurance Adjuster

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You’ve just been in a car accident. Whether it was a bad wreck or a silly fender bender, the upcoming hours and days can make or break your family’s financial future.

These situations are never fun, and, in many cases, they’re extremely dangerous.

The scenarios are endless:

  • The accident may have been your fault
  • It may not have been your fault
  • You may be injured
  • You may not be injured

You followed the proper accident aftermath protocol:

  • Exchanged insurance information
  • Informed your insurance company
  • Checked to see that everyone was OKAY
  • Talked to the police
  • Hired a lawyer…

Or, maybe, you didn’t do any of that because you were too busy, picking up the pieces.

Literally and figuratively.

Whatever the case may be, there is one thing you can be sure of: you’re going to get a call from an insurance adjuster (if you haven’t already).

Here’s what adjusters do before they call you

It is important that you know the process by which insurance adjusters assess your claim.

  1. They examine your vehicle to assess the damage.
  2. They investigate the liability to see who is at fault.
  3. If they accept responsibility, they study your injuries to assess the damages, to see how minor or major they are.
  4. They put a monetary value on your claim.
car insurance adjuster looking at damaged car

If you were seriously injured, but never saw a doctor or went to the hospital, meaning there are no medical bills, you could be looking at a lowball offer.

To avoid this situation, it’s important you hire a personal injury attorney right away:

  • We’ll help you find medical treatment
  • You won’t have to pay any medical bills up front
  • We won’t let insurance companies bully you
  • We know the law, and we’re experts

There are two types of insurance adjusters

  • Level 1: Non-attorney-represented adjusters with relatively low experience, maybe two or three years at most.
  • Level 2: Attorney-represented adjusters with more experience.

Insurance companies assign Level 2 adjusters to your case when they get a letter disclosing you’ve obtained attorney representation.

Adjusters are not necessarily out to get you, but they are interested in saving as much money for their employer as humanly possible.

That means money coming out of your pocket.

Just like court, anything you say to an insurance adjuster can and will be used against you…

Insurance companies need a recorded statement to finalize their liability decision against you. They already have insurance statement, and police report. They want to see if you say anything wrong so they can use it against you and believe us, they will!

…yet another reason why you should obtain an experienced attorney, and leave these calls up to us.

Do not negotiate with insurance adjusters

If you are the victim of a car accident, the first thing you need to do is hire an attorney before you talk to an adjuster. And guess what? With Wilshire Law Firm, it’s free!

In case you do find yourself on a call with an adjuster, here are some more tips for what to do and what not to do:

  • Never admit fault… ever
  • Don’t discuss medicals at all
  • Withhold private details
  • Do not agree to a settlement
  • Do not sign or accept anything
  • If you feel rushed, make it known
  • The adjuster is not your friend
  • Be nice, polite, and respectful always

Remember, adjusters are paid to save the insurance company’s money, not yours. They talk on the phone all day with people who are down on their luck and take advantage of those who cannot negotiate for themselves. You’re just another file to them, and their number one job is to nickel and dime you and your family until you have nothing left.

Adjusters will try to downgrade your settlement

If an adjuster asks:

“Even though the other driver hit you, was there any moment when you thought you could have avoided the crash?”

Your answer is always: no.

This is known as comparative liability. At any point, if you are found at even just 1% fault, you are responsible for that 1% of the claim. That 1% is compared to the policy limit, and can easily turn into millions.

This is just one example of many, many schemes they will use to downgrade your settlement before making you an offer.

You are better off saying absolutely nothing (pleading the fifth), calling Wilshire Law Firm, and letting us negotiate for you.

Our team has the best accident and personal injury lawyers in California for a reason: we fight for families who are bullied by big business insurance companies into leaving money on the table every day, and we win.

It’s the reason we’ve accumulated over $350 million in settlements and case resolutions in just 10 years of practice.

We’re the guys the insurance companies are afraid of – that’s why they try to rush you into settling early.

Never, ever settle with an insurance adjuster

No settlement is so simple that you need to agree with just one phone call.

Even two or three phones calls is usually not enough.

Especially when your family’s future is at stake.

But, that’s exactly what the adjuster will try to do: Give you an offer that sounds like a lot of money, but it’s chump change compared to what your family truly deserves for their loss of property, health, or life.

Many factors go into agreeing on a fair and just case resolution. One of those factors is known as unforeseeable costs. You didn’t expect to get into an accident. How can they possibly tell you how much you are owed? How could your insurance adjuster possibly account for things like:

  • Medical bills (past and future)
  • Physical rehabilitation
  • Lost wages
  • Loss of future wages
  • Pain and suffering
  • Mental anguish
  • Emotional distress
  • Loss of companion
  • So much more!

These situations are not laughing matters. What is a laughing matter, however, is when they tell you not to get a lawyer.

Lives are at stake, and it is very important that you approach calls with insurance adjusters with proper care and preparation.

You need someone you can trust. An attorney who understands. An award-winning California car accident lawyer who will stand up and negotiate your claim so that you and your family receive fair and just compensation for your damages.

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By submitting this form, you agree to receive telephone calls and text messages at anytime, which include hours outside of business hours (8:00 a.m. PST - 9:00 p.m. PST). This is so that we may reach you as soon as possible in order to consult on your potential case.