Insurance Adjusters and Personal Injury Claims

Personal Injury Attorneys

After a personal injury accident, you know that one of your biggest hurdles is going to be the insurance adjuster assigned to your case. Especially when you have property damage and are suffering from serious injuries after the accident, you or your attorney will likely be speaking with the other party’s insurance adjuster so that you can get compensated for the injuries you are suffering from. Before working with the insurance adjuster, it is important to understand how they are thinking and what their motives are. 

What are they looking for when it comes to your claim? 

It is important to first understand that the insurance adjuster is there to do their job. They are not there to make sure you feel better after the accident. Especially if you have a rock-solid case, the insurance adjuster will be doing everything they can to keep the amount they need to spend as low as possible. That said, the insurance adjuster also knows that if you do not like their offer you may take them to court. Typically, they will try to give you a settlement offer that looks good on paper and that sounds like it is a lot of money. If you accept this offer, you will not be able to take them to court. This is why many lawyers, like a personal injury lawyer in Chicago, Illinois from a law firm like The Law Offices of Konrad Sherinian encourage their clients not to speak with insurance adjusters before talking with an attorney. 

When reviewing the insurance claim, an adjuster will typically take a look at a few things:

  • How serious your injuries are
  • Whether you sought medical attention
  • The expenses you had and will have that relate to your injuries
  • Whether you were unable to go back to work

There may be a very specific number for some of these items making it easy for an adjuster to calculate. However, if you experienced trauma or pain and suffering as a result of the accident, this can make it harder to put a dollar value on your claim. 

What is helpful when filing a claim with an insurance agency? 

The more evidence you have for your claim the better. If you have a solid case, the insurance adjuster will be more likely to give you a fair settlement offer because they know going to court is not in their best interest. If you have already filed a personal injury claim or are expecting to file a claim, consider speaking with a local attorney who can help you with this process.