You can have a leg up if you understand the process insurance adjusters use when handling personal injury claims. Insurance claims adjusters have many official titles including claims specialist, claims analyst, independent claims analyst, and their basic job is to settle your personal injury claim on terms favorable to the insurance company and not necessarily to you. That said and done, you may actually be an advantage in your personal injury case especially if you have hired a good personal injury lawyer.

What does an insurance adjuster do?

The negotiation process begins once you and your personal injury lawyer in Vallejo file a personal injury claim with the defendant’s insurance company. It is at this point that you and the adjuster representing the insurance company will officially and formally talk. Your claim may be handled by an independent insurance adjuster but this is rare. This is done if the insurance company does not have a local satellite office.

Insurance adjusters have a great deal of autonomy in doing their job, but independent ones may have less of a degree of autonomy. It is not uncommon for a claims supervisor to have to approve all of the actions and decisions an independent insurance adjuster makes. If you are suing a public or government agency, you may or may not be dealing with its insurance office. In some instances, a personal injury lawyer may handle your claim. However, the claims process does not change regardless of who handles a particular claim.

How do adjusters settle claims?

Insurance adjusters are paid and promoted/evaluated based on how well they do their job which is to pay you as small a settlement as possible. They are also encouraged to settle claims as quickly as possible. This is because they are always dealing with a high volume of claims cases to settle. The key to getting the settlement you deserve is to let the adjuster know that you know the true economic value of your claim. Then the adjuster will expedite the process.

Since you are filing the claim, you will tend to be more informed and better educated regarding the intricacies of it. The adjuster is authorized to reach an agreement with you over the phone. You’ll receive paperwork in the mail that finalizes the settlement once a settlement amount has been agreed upon. Keep in mind that more experienced adjusters will have a higher limit for the total settlement amount. Adjusters don’t disclose the settlement limits unless they know that you have already been offered a higher amount.

You can get the settlement you deserve, now that you have a better understanding of how the claims settlement process works and the role that claims adjusters play, you can hire the personal injury lawyer who will help you get the settlement you deserve.