Tips for Dealing with Insurance Adjusters after a Car Accident

Tips on Dealing with an Insurance Adjuster After a Car Accident

 

Hi, this is Ben.  Today I’ve got a tip for dealing with insurance adjusters.  You know recently in our office we’ve had several people call and report to us this type of conversation, that is an insurance adjuster is showing up at a hospital room, showing up at the house or maybe calling someone even after business hours and here’s the conversation. 

     "Mr. Jones, we’d like to offer you $3,000.00 for your case.  Will you – will you take that or are you gonna let some lawyer take 40 percent of it just to talk to you."

That really is an astounding conversation but I’ve now heard it from enough different people that I know it’s out there and we’ve heard it from the different insurance companies.  Let me tell you a couple things. 

Number 1, no legitimate personal injury lawyer is charging 40 percent of the recovery to settle your routine automobile accident case.  That’s ridiculous and so for an insurance adjuster to suggest that a lawyer is gonna take 40 percent just for talking to you is an outright lie. 

Number 2, you have plenty of time to deal with the adjuster.  For example in Virginia you typically have two years from the date of the accident within which to file a lawsuit.  There is no rush. 

Number 3, they want to close the case paying you as little money as they can.  If you take their $3,000.00 and a month from now find out that you need more care or surgery, too bad, you’re gonna have to pay for that.  You’re on your own right. 

So they’re trying to close the case early.  They’re trying to rush you into a decision and they’re trying to intimidate you from talking to a lawyer.  So here’s my offer to you.  If you have an offer from an insurance company you call us, give us that information, and we will review that offer and your case for absolutely free.  There is no way that we would charge 40 percent or anything to sit down with you to review their offer.  It might be a good offer but then again usually it’s not.  If it’s not we can talk about what we can do to help you improve your offer and help you get full recovery for your case.  That’s my tip of the day about dealing with insurance adjusters.