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4/3/2011
David M. Chester
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What is an auto insurance adjuster and why should you care?

An auto insurance adjuster is the name given to the person who works for the auto insurance company who handles the bodily injury claims and property damage claims of their insureds. For example, if you are hurt by Bob, and Bob has auto insurance through company x, an auto insurance adjuster for company x will handle your injury claim. It will be their job to negotiate a settlement with you for your injuries, lost wages, medical bills, car damage, etc. The adjuster will usually contact you shortly after the accident and ask for a recorded statement. In the statement they will ask you all sorts of questions, such as “are you hurt?” “Have you had problems this sort of health problem before?” Etc.  They are attempting to reduce or eliminate their payout by making you
1. At fault for the accident
2. Playing down or minimizing yoru injuries, or
3. Saying your injuries existed before the accident and so they do not have to pay for the accident related care.
Don’t be fooled. The auto insurance adjuster is not your friend. They work for the person who hurt you. In my experience and opinion, they are often trained to keep you from getting a lawyer because everyone knows you get more money with a lawyer, and the adjuster wants to pay out as little as possible. Some adjusters even say the lawyer will just take your money because they offer the same amount whether or not a lawyer is involved. This is not true.
The adjuster also wants to close his or her file as quickly as possible, by offering you a few hundred dollars and promising to pay your medical bills.
However, what if the amount they promise for medical bills is not enough? The rest comes out of your pocket often times. If you later find out you have a serious injury, such as a brain injury or herniated disc, you are probably out of luck.
Don’t trust the adjuster to have your back. They work for the person who hurt you. They owe a fiduciary duty to that person, not to you.
The adjuster may want you to sign a medical authorization or a property damage release. Make sure a personal injury lawyer looks over these papers as there can be traps built into them that that hurt or kill your case.
Personal injury claims are big business for auto insurance companies. In most injury cases, especially those with serious injuries, you will need the services of an experienced personal injury attorney to maximize your settlement. You would not perform brain surgery on yourself, but you would be surprised how many people try to handle their own personal injury claims, screw them up, then call a lawyer to try to fix the mess they have made.


Category: Auto Accidents

Labels: accident car accident Chester Law Group insurance insurance adjuster insurance companies medical bills medical release Ohio accident settlement settlement offer

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