If you were hurt in an accident, you will probably get a call from an insurance adjuster at the insurer that is covering the other involved person. Adjusters are also known as claims analysts, claims specialists or claims representatives.
An insurance adjusters job is to quickly settle a claim and spend as little as possible in a settlement. Adjusters are often limited to a set dollar amount they can offer you for a settlement.
After an accident, you may be in pain and feel distracted. However, it is important to think about what you will say before speaking with an adjuster.
Here are five things to remember when you talk with an adjuster:
Get the adjusters contact information. This should be their name, phone number, email address, the insurers name and who he or she is representing. Only give the personal information necessary for a claim. This includes your name, phone number and address. Do not go into detail about your job, income or other personal information.
Do not give a statement to the adjuster about the accident and how it happened. Just provide the basic facts needed regarding the incident. For example, if you were in an auto accident, you should only discuss who was involved and where and when it happened. An adjuster may try to get you to talk about the accident, but you should politely decline.
If an insurance adjuster asks you about your injury, you should only give a general description. This is important because an injury may turn out to be more serious than you think or you may forget to mention something about an injury. While you can state that you are getting care or you are planning to, you do not need to tell an adjuster the names of your doctors and other providers.
Stay calm and be courteous when speaking with an adjuster. You might be upset about what happened, but yelling at an adjuster will not help you. If you are polite, an adjuster is more likely to handle your claim quickly rather than delaying the process.
Do not fall for these negotiating tactics
Since an important part of an adjusters job is to pay out as little as possible for a settlement, you might hear one of these improper negotiating tactics:
Your bills were already paid by your health insurance or other coverage. It does not matter if a health insurer covered your medical bills. You still have the right to a recovery.
It is too late to file a claim
If you waited before contacting an insurer to file a claim, an adjuster might say it is now too late.
Do you need legal support?
If you want help or advice before dealing with an insurance adjuster, you can contact experienced and knowledgeable attorneys at Farrar, Hennesy & Tanner, LLC. Get a free case review and see how they can help you.
