Early in the claims process, the insurance company seems eager to get things taken care of in a hurry. Often, the victim of an accident will get a call from the insurance adjuster just a few days after the injury-causing collision. The adjuster will try to create the impression that the early call represents a true attempt to help the victim. Actually, it plays a key part in a useful tactic.
The different tactics and how to fight them
The adjuster might suggest that the victim/policy holder can save money by awaiting the settlement amount that pleases the insurance company. The adjuster would make no mention of a lawyer’s ability to negotiate with the insurer. Consequently, the victim/policy holder would feel compelled to go after the low hanging fruit, the money that the adjuster has already offered.
By hiring a personal injury lawyer in Trenton, an accident victim can fight that particular tactic. Contrary to what an adjuster might have said, an attorney will work hard to see that a client gets the maximum amount of money, in terms of compensation.
The adjuster’s telephone call might also show that the insurance company has elected to try a different tactic. It could be that the adjuster plans to get a statement over the phone. That statement might be recorded by someone at the other end of the line. If the adjuster calls within the first 24 hours after the accident, that representative from the insurance company ought to be told that injuries do not always reveal themselves that soon.
At the time of an auto accident claim, the insurance company does need to get a look at the plaintiff’s medical records. Sometimes that need can become an excuse, an excuse for employing a tactic. Someone representing the insurer asks you to sign a medical release. The insurance company has one reason for going after your medical records. It wants to take a good long look at what might be in the older part of that same record. Maybe your record indicates that you suffer with a pre-existing condition. That same condition might then be pointed to as the cause for your accident-related injury.
The last of the tactics most often used by insurance companies involves the act of setting the stage for a delay in payment of the settlement. As the time of a settlement gets closer, the victim hears from someone that speaks for the insurer. According to that same person, the plaintiff/victim must bear some responsibility for what happened.
After victim has been told that he or she might be partially responsible for a collision, then that same person feels that there must be a reason for the delayed settlement. Still, the same victim would probably love to receive that settlement money. Of course, the insurance company is aware of that fact. For that reason, the insurer tries to get the victim’s agreement to a rather low settlement.