It wasn’t very long after your car wreck that an adjuster from the other party’s insurance company was on the phone, asking to speak to you. They certainly seemed friendly, and they sounded like they were genuinely concerned about your well-being.
In fact, the insurance adjuster may be a very nice person – but you’d be wise not to open up or even talk to them – except through your legal representation. Here’s why:
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They have to look out for their company’s interests, not yours.
Even the nicest insurance adjusters have a job to do, and that job is to evaluate their company’s liability in any given situation and limit the claim as much as possible. While they may feel for your situation on a personal level, their duty is to their employer.
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They are under no obligation to tell you what’s fair or make a reasonable offer.
You don’t really know how to value your own claim. How could you? Most people are only in this kind of position once or twice in their lives, if ever. You don’t know how to calculate the true value of your losses, especially when it comes to your pain and suffering.
The insurance adjuster has plenty of know-how and experience in this area, but they’re under no obligation to help you. They may present an extremely low offer and tell you that you’re actually getting a deal, knowing that you have no basis for comparison.
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They’re experts at frustrating or devaluing a claim.
Insurance adjusters often use delay tactics on accident victims, knowing that the financial pressures those victims have as a result of their injuries only increase with time. That makes a lot of victims desperate enough to accept a terrible settlement offer.
In other cases, insurance adjusters actively try to devalue a claim. They may suggest that your injuries were exaggerated, twist your words against you to imply you were actually at fault for your own losses and more. All of this can make you feel lucky to get any kind of settlement – when you should be due more.
This bears repeating: The insurance adjuster’s goals and yours are not the same, so don’t trust them. Instead, you’d be much wiser to learn more about how to protect your rights and get fair compensation for your losses following an injury.