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Soon after being injured in a Pennsylvania Car Accident, the Car Insurance Adjuster for the driver responsible for causing the collision will telephone you or write you a letter. The Adjuster is hoping that you don’t call a lawyer to get advice on your legal rights.
It’s plain and simple. The Adjuster’s job is to protect the other driver and his/her insurance company by either denying responsibility for causing the accident or by minimizing the amount of money paid to you on the claim.
Here are 3 Reasons Why the Adjuster Hopes You Don’t Call a Lawyer:
1- The Adjuster Wants a Recorded or Written Statement
The Adjuster hopes that you will give a recorded or written statement that includes incriminating information that can be used against you to defend the case like an admission that you were speeding or a statement that you were not injured.
Anything you say in a written or recorded statement can used against you. You may not understand the questions. You might make incorrect statements due to injuries or medications. You might be led into saying something that you really don’t mean.
There is no obligation for you to give a statement to the other driver’s insurance company and it’s a bad idea to volunteer to give one.
2- The Adjuster Wants Your Private Medical and Employment Records
To “investigate your claim” the Adjuster will ask that you sign Releases for Medical and Employment records. These blanket authorizations often allow the insurance company to get records without any time limitation, records from before and after the accident. This is private information that the insurance company is not legally entitled to at this stage.
You should not permit this invasion of your privacy, but it you don’t have a lawyer advising you, you may not know that the request to sign authorizations is not something that you need to comply with.
3- The Adjuster Hopes You Don’t Learn About Your Legal Rights to Compensation
The biggest reason why the Car Insurance Adjuster hopes that you don’t talk to a lawyer is that he/she is hoping that you don’t learn about your legal rights to compensation and everything that the law says you are entitled to receive after being injured in a car accident.
Car Insurance companies make money by charging premiums to their policy holders. They lose money by paying claims.
So, the insurance Adjuster’s job is to try to avoid paying claims or, if payment cannot be avoided, to minimize the payment.
On the other hand, you, as the victim of a car accident, should understand your legal rights and receive fair compensation.
The best way to learn your legal rights and to receive all that you are entitled to is to consult with an experienced Car Accident Lawyer.
The insurance company hopes that you do not seek advice and do not present a claim. In the alternative, the insurance company hopes that you present a claim directly and undervalue it so that the Adjuster can offer a low ball settlement. The adjuster hopes to make a small payment and have you sign a Release giving up your claims.
In my experience, the better course of action is for car accident victims to get legal advice and representation, but the insurance Adjuster hopes they don’t!
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