Personal Injury Lawyer
Whether you’ve been given an offer by the insurance company or are waiting for it to come in, you might be wondering how they come up with their numbers. Your personal injury has a lot to with it, from medical costs to loss of enjoyment of life, and you want to be compensated for all of it. The following are some things an insurance adjuster will look at to make the determination of a personal injury settlement offer.
The Insured’s Story
When you make a third-party claim with the insurance company of the person who caused your injury, the insurance company will immediately want to speak with their client, the policyholder. The insurance adjuster will take down the details of the policyholder’s story, and might also take a look at a police report if there is one. The report will give the adjuster a better idea of what really happened, especially if the policyholder forgot anything.
The Claimant’s History
Insurance adjusters are sort of like investigators, and will be investigating your past. As a claimant, you are basically asking the insurance company to pay for your injuries and other damages. The insurance company will do everything possible to keep that compensation as low as they can. The adjuster will look into the claims database to check on any past claims you have made. He or she will Google your name to see if there’s any dirt to be dug up. He or she might take a look at your social media accounts to see if you’ve done this before.
Evidence from the Accident
There may be surveillance videos, witness statements, and other types of evidence the adjuster can collect. He or she will look over everything thoroughly to determine what exactly happened. If the evidence doesn’t corroborate the stories, a deeper investigation may take place, or it could also have a direct impact on the settlement offer.
Claim Documentation
The next thing the claims adjuster will do is request claim documentation from you or your lawyer. The documents he or she will ask for include proof of earnings, proof of injury, medical bills, proof of property damage, tax returns, and others. Adjusters go over every last word of these documents looking for mistakes, missing information, lies, or other problems. If there’s anything that doesn’t quite align, he or she may take a second look at the evidence.
Hiring Legal Help
Any time you are injured and have to deal with an insurance company, it could benefit you to speak with a lawyer. Contact a lawyer, like a personal injury lawyer from Hickey & Turim, today to learn what you need to do to hire legal help.
