What Claimants Should Know Before Speaking With Adjuster

Everyone that files a claim with an insurance company can expect to hear from an adjuster. For that reason, all claimants should know what actions to take before receiving the adjuster’s first call.

Actions to take before hearing from adjuster:

Collect all of the relevant information. That would include the names and contact numbers for all those involved in the accident. Ideally, you have the names and contact numbers for some witnesses. Hopefully, you have taken pictures of the damage and injuries caused by the accident. Be sure that you do not agree to provide the insurance company with a recorded statement. All claimants should consult with an attorney before making that sort of agreement.

Actions to take once you have begun negotiating with the adjuster

Personal Injury Lawyer in Kitchener will ask you to keep a log of your conversations. Record the name of the person you spoke to, along with the date and time of the conversation. Include a few notes that explain what was said. By this time, you should have seen a doctor. Get copies of your medical report.

Understand what you want to hear before you agree to any settlement. You need to hear that you have recovered to the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI). Until you are sure that you have reached that stage, do not speak with the adjuster about settling the dispute.

If you or any passengers have not seen a doctor, then you have no way of knowing whether or not you or the passengers have reached the point of MMI. In other words, any negotiations that you engage in, while lacking awareness of an MMI, can be compared to the act of driving blind.

Obviously, no sensible person would attempt to drive down the road while wearing a blindfold. For that reason, it helps to work closely with a lawyer, when negotiating with an insurance company’s adjuster. Lawyers understand how to deal with adjusters that try to force a claimant to settle a dispute too early in the process.

Adjusters do not care whether or not a claimant might develop more symptoms in the near future. Each of those members of an insurance company’s workforce hopes to get a certain claimant to agree to the smallest possible compensation. Do not allow yourself to be that gullible claimant. Hire an attorney, so that you can have someone that knows how to fight for your rights. At the same time, respect the lawyer’s advice.

Note what your doctor says about how well your injury has healed. Understand that you should ignore any adjuster’s suggestion, regarding a settlement until reaching MMI. Make sure that a physician has announced the arrival of you or, perhaps, an injured passenger at that significant stage.