The biggest mistake I see when folks try to settle their own injury case is that they trust the adjuster and expect the adjuster to be reasonable and fair. Adjusters work for the insurance company- they get paid to pay you as little as they possibly can. Fairness is not part of the equation.
Many people contact us long after the accident in which a loved one was hurt and just after they have their first discussion with the insurance adjuster about what the insurance company wants to pay for their injury claim. Frequently folks attempting to settle the case themselves actually hurt their case by one or more of the following:
• Giving a recorded statement;
• Not getting photographs of the vehicles or scene;
• Not getting proper medical care or waiting a long time to get care; and
• Letting key evidence get away;
I don’t want to discourage anyone from handling their own injury case, only to plant the seed that injury lawsuits are adversarial and recurrently the only time an insurance company is truly reasonable is when a jury is out or you are “on the court house steps”. Having said that, I do not want to leave anyone with the idea that adjusters are bad people or that they are cold or hard hearted. A great number adjusters are super people and have wonderful families- just be aware that it is the insurance adjusters job to save the company money and settle the case as low as possible.
