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1 800 HURT 511

The Insurance Adjuster’s Role in Reducing Your Settlement

Every year, insurance companies spend lots of money training their claims adjusters on how to pay out as little as possible on as few claims as possible. Any claim that is made to an insurance company is immediately questioned, both in terms of whether it is true and how much it is worth. This is why it is so important for people who deserve a car accident settlement to talk to a lawyer before talking to their insurance company. The claims adjuster’s job is to do everything to prevent you from obtaining the compensation. With the help of a personal injury lawyer, people who have been injured can protect their legal rights and obtain a fair compensation for their losses and suffering.

Who is an insurance adjuster?

An insurance adjuster is a company representative tasked with investigating filed claims. Insurance companies cannot rely just on documentation and the plaintiff’s word, so they employ insurance adjusters to verify the legitimacy of the claim. As part of their inquiry, insurance adjusters assist the insurance company in determining the exact amount of compensation. Insurance adjusters will determine the value of a claim using a variety of procedures that all have the same end goal. Pay as little compensation as possible.
Insurance company is a business; they will always pay the least amount possible, but with a professional lawyer on your side, you may resist their efforts and escape a minimal settlement.

Do insurance adjusters work for insurance companies only?

While the majority of insurance adjusters will be employed by the insurance company against which a claim was made, they might come from a variety of sources. The typical insurance adjuster is an employee of the insurance business and a member of the insurance adjusting department’s personnel. Additionally, there are independent adjusters that can be hired by both insurance companies and policyholders.

Last but not least, claimants generally use public adjusters. The different types of adjusters make sure that a claim is looked at as objectively and accurately as possible.

What works better for me: a public or independent adjuster?

It depends on the situation whether you should hire a public or a private insurance adjuster. A claimant may feel that an insurance company’s settlement estimate is grossly unfair or that an insurance adjuster was too biased in the way they handled the case.
In these situations, you should get your own insurance adjuster. If this happens, make sure to hire your own adjuster as soon as possible in the claims process to give yourself the best chance of getting a better estimate of how much your car accident settlement will be.

What kind of investigation does an insurance adjuster perform?

An insurance minimizer would be a more accurate name for an insurance adjuster.
In order to figure out what happened and try to limit your claim, an insurance adjuster will look into every aspect of whatever happened. Insurance adjusters can be sent to all kinds of claims, from car accidents to injuries caused by slipping and falling. All of them have the same goal, which is to look out for the insurance company’s best interests.
Investigations by insurance adjusters will be based on paperwork and, for some, will involve a lot of hands-on work.

They won’t leave anything out and will talk to any useful witnesses in person, take their statements, talk to emergency workers, and look at any relevant accident sites themselves to figure out how much a settlement should be. At least that’s what the insurance company thinks is a fair settlement.

How to act if the insurance provider denies liability?

The first and most straightforward approach to contesting a claim is to deny all responsibility. If the defendant was not at fault in an accident, the insurance company would not have to pay for the victims’ medical bills and other damages. Insurance firms conduct investigations in order to ascertain who was at fault for a car accident, insurance firms conduct investigations.

Liability is also allocated in premises liability claims, such as slip-and-fall injuries at stores or restaurants. Additionally, private homeowners might be held accountable for injuries that occur on their property.

Numerous claims are refused at this stage. When a claims adjuster denies liability, fortunately, victims have recourse. A rejection of liability will frequently require a victim to file a lawsuit in order for a judge or jury to decide who was at fault for the accident.

In some cases, the insurance company will take responsibility and pay the car accident settlement just because a lawsuit was filed. Sometimes it does not, and the case must go to trial. In any case, the person who was hurt can choose to let someone else decide who was at fault.

A claims adjuster’s initial refusal to take responsibility for an injury does not mean that the injured person’s claim is over.

Methods used by claims adjusters to disagree about a claim’s worth

There are numerous strategies employed by insurance companies to lower the value of a claim. One common strategy is to focus on areas of compensation that are hard to put a dollar value on because they are subjective. Subjective losses such as pain, suffering, and loss of consortium are very real and compensable injuries. However, they can vary significantly from victim to victim.
Some patients are allergic to specific medicines and, as a result, must endure greater discomfort from to their injuries. Some victims prefer to limit their pain medications due to pregnancy. The pain and suffering of accident victims can be made worse by the diseases, but claims adjusters rarely take them into account when figuring out how much money to pay for pain and suffering.

In case you have been injured in an accident in New York, we will aggressively protect your right to receive a maximum car accident settlement. Call 1-800-HURT-511 today to schedule your free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney. Our personalized service, highly skilled lawyers, and friendly staff will help accident victims feel less stressed so they can focus on their recovery.

What Is the Average Car Accident Settlement Amount?

What Is the Average Car Accident Settlement Amount?

After a car accident, an accident victim has three options: they can pursue damages from their insurance provider and the at-fault party’s insurance provider, they can choose to skip settlement negotiations and bring a lawsuit right away, or they can do nothing. Rarely is the last option chosen, which means often after a car accident, an accident victim has to choose between whether they want to settle out of court or go all the way and file a lawsuit against the at-fault party. One of the main things an accident victim must consider is how much money they can yield through a settlement, and this is the main subject this blog focuses on.

What Is a Car Accident Settlement?

A car accident settlement is essentially an agreement between involved parties’ and their insurance companies, one that ensures no further action will be brought regarding the accident provided a certain amount of money is paid. Settlements are incredibly common in US civil courts, and they’re preferred for a variety of reasons. The legal system actually encourages settlements because they save time and reduce the administrative costs associated with filing a lawsuit.

Once you accept a settlement figure, you have to sign an agreement that says you won’t bring further action, and then your payment will be released. A fair settlement is a win-win for both parties, but sometimes reaching a fair settlement can be tough. So what determines the value of a settlement? Let’s look!

What Determines How Much a Settlement Is?

A settlement figure is determined by a range of factors. The main factors are bodily injuries, property damage, and other personal injuries. An accident victim will want compensation for all expenses related to the car accidents. Often accident victims recover damages for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, and loss of life enjoyment.

Economic damages are usually associated with fixed costs, while general damages are typically awarded for injuries that are harder to quantify. Knowing the extent of injuries and property damage will help you determine an accurate settlement figure. But if you don’t know how to fully assess damage and injuries, you should get a car accident lawyer’s help.

What Are Common Car Accident Injuries?

Following a car accident, you may be injured in a variety of ways. The extent of injuries largely depends on how severe the accident was. That being said, major car accidents aren’t the only accidents that lead to major injuries. A simple fender bender may cause you to hit your head so hard that you suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Here are some of the injuries that are commonly associated with car accidents:

  • Burns
  • Broken pelvis
  • Whiplash
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Internal bleeding
  • Crush injuries
  • Soft tissue injuries
  • PTSD
  • Dismemberment
  • Shoulder injuries
  • Knee injuries
  • Broken ribs
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Hand & wrist injuries
  • Foot & ankle injuries
  • Facial disfigurement
  • Cuts & lacerations

 

The kinds of injuries you have will determine how much you receive in a settlement. Minor injuries that heal up in a couple months will require less compensation than lifelong injuries like TBI and dismemberment.

How Much Are Car Accident Settlements Generally?

As was already mentioned, a car accident settlement figure largely depends on a variety of factors. Generally speaking, car accident settlements are close to $42,000. Compare that figure to truck accident settlements that yield just a little bit more at $43,000, and motorcycle accident settlements that yield $68,000.

The reason why motorcycle accidents tend to yield more is because injuries associated with these are often more significant. Just because the average settlement amount is $40,000 doesn’t mean you can’t demand more. For example, there are instances where an at-fault party’s negligence is so egregious, it may even be possible to recover punitive damages from them.

Is Accepting a Settlement Right Away a Good Move?

Accepting a settlement right away is not a good move for a variety of reasons. Usually an insurance provider will try to offer a low-ball settlement to get things concluded quickly; doing so not only saves time but a lot of money too. If you have a car accident lawyer negotiating on your behalf, they will refuse to accept a low settlement (unless you press them to do so). Why accept a $10,000 settlement when you can yield over $40,000 with a bit of negotiating? After all, once you accept a settlement, you can’t bring a lawsuit for the accident ever again.

How Will a Car Accident Lawyer Negotiate a Settlement Amount?

A car accident lawyer will take full account of injuries and damages and then calculate a total damages figure based on these. But they will seek more than this so if they have to negotiate, they negotiate down to a price that is still acceptable to you. If you have an experienced and skilled car accident lawyer on your side, you’ll be able to stand toe to toe with the insurance company and not be bullied by their tactics. And if your lawyer deems that getting a fair settlement is not likely, they’ll file a lawsuit so a jury can make a final decision.

How Does a Car Accident Lawyer Get Paid?

Most car accident lawyers work on what’s known as contingency. That is, a car accident lawyer will take between 30% and 40% of an award, but only if you win. Laws and regulations govern how much a lawyer can take as an award, but generally they take a higher percentage if a lot of work was involved and a lower percentage if minimal work was required.

Are a Car Accident Lawyer’s Services Worth It?

Hiring a car accident lawyer is worth it for a variety of reasons. Mainly, they’ll handle the fundamental legal processes so you can show up at negotiating table with a solid case and achieve a fair settlement. And they’ll make sure you don’t preclude yourself from receiving compensation by saying something incorrect to the insurance company.

Finding a highly skilled, qualified lawyer used to be tough, but no more. We’ve simplified the process. Call 1-800-HURT-511 and we’ll connect you with multilingual, experienced lawyers who’ve secured over $1 billion for their clients. You only pay if you win. They know how to win cases like the one you want to bring.

Call 1-800-HURT-511 now, as it’s likely you’re running out of time to file a claim.

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From Our Clients

Stephanie De La Cruz
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I was an UBER passenger and the car got rear-ended by a utility van. I called 1-800-HURT-511 since a friend dealt with them before and I was glad I did. My attorney was extremely professional and aggressive when necessary. He was transparent from the start and didn’t complicate things unnecessarily.

Stephanie De La Cruz
Jordan Barnes
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Serious team effort from the entire staff to get my work injury case resolved quickly. They built a strong case and kept me in the loop for the duration. This team also delivered on two previous occasions and did it in a very cost-effective way. A faithful customer for life thank you!

Jordan Barnes
Kevin Diaz
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I highly recommend HURT-511! When the insurance companies turned me away after a scary scooter accident that nearly killed me, a lawyer at HURT-511 stayed and fought for me and recovered the entire policy! Their staff is well-informed and always available to answer my questions. They treated me like one of their own and I made the right decision to stick with them. Thank you so much!

Kevin Diaz
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