Car accidents can turn out to be very devastating. The situation can get worse if the insurance company – either yours or that of the ‘at-fault party’ – doesn’t want to compensate you without a fight.
Some insurance companies even go out of their way to use insurance adjusters to trick you, so that they can pay as little as possible when you claim insurance for your car accident. That’s why you need to know all the tricks that insurance adjusters may use. Let’s explore the five most common ones below!
1. Forcing you to Admit that You Were at Fault During the Accident
An insurance adjuster works for the insurance company you have filed a claim with. Thus, they will do anything to trick you into accepting that you were at fault for the accident. The adjuster may use certain trick questions to try to implicate you as the faulty party.
For example, they will use questions such as “while the other car ran into you from behind, what could you have done to avoid the accident?” or “you seldom use the road. Do you think that your unfamiliarity with the road contributed to the accident?”
While these questions may come across as genuine, they may make you admit that you were at fault. Such admission may reduce your compensation for personal injury and other losses.
2. Delaying the Progression of Your Case
In case the insurance company suspects that it will lose the case and have to compensate you, they may opt to stall the progression of the case. The insurance does so with the hope that the frustration will make you accept less money or become impatient and walk away without compensation.
3. Using Your Medical Records Against You
While it is morally wrong to use medical records against a victim of an accident, an insurance adjuster may opt for this route to make sure that the insurance evades compensating you. For instance, an adjuster may befriend you, pretending to care, only for you to share your medical history with them.
Additionally, they may contact the hospital for your medical records and try to use the data to manipulate the claim against you. In this instance, they may argue that the medication or previous illnesses may have contributed to the accident, thus refusing to compensate you.
On the other hand, an insurance adjuster may trick you into taking medical checks with their doctor in order to examine the extent of the injuries sustained.
4. Using Your Words Against You
Insurance adjusters may try to be cunning in their endeavors to ensure that the insurance company pays you as little as possible for your car accident claim. Such adjusters may engage you in recorded conversations without your consent.
With simple words like “I am doing fine” in recording, the adjuster can claim that the injuries sustained in the accident are not serious.
5. Advising You to Not Use an Attorney in Your Case
This is one of the most appalling techniques that adjusters use to ensure that you do not get your full compensation. Basically, adjusters apply the technique through statements such as “This is a very easy case, you do not need an attorney.” They might also use other statements like “we will pay you as soon as possible.”
Both of these statements may seem very genuine, but they might discourage you from seeking an attorney’s advice. Falling for such statements results in non-representation, which can further lead to lower compensation.
Conclusion
Insurance adjusters will always protect the insurance company and ensure you do not get fair compensation for accident-related personal injuries. To avoid being tricked, you may need to hire an experienced personal injury attorney to combat any of the common tricks mentioned above.
