Suffering an injury as a result of a construction accident, slip and fall accident, motor vehicle accident or premises liability accident is difficult enough to deal with these days. To make matters worse, you need to file a claim with either your insurance company or the company that represents the at-fault party in the accident. Dealing with an insurance company is never easy. You will have adjusters contacting you constantly trying to get you to settle, trying to get you to give a statement and trying to find fault in your claim. So, how is your personal injury insurance claim investigated?
Adjuster Assigned
An adjuster will be assigned to your claim immediately after it is filed. He or she will send you a generic introductory letter with information about the claim. The letter will also provide the name of the adjuster and their contact information. The letter will request documents that pertain to the claim you filed and the accident that led to your injuries.
Adjuster Reads the Reports
The adjuster assigned to the claim will then begin to read all of the reports filed. This includes the police report, any accident reports and any other documents that describe the incident that led to your injuries. This will help the adjuster understand what happened and if there is any fraudulent activity taking place.
Investigating the Insured
The adjuster’s main job regarding the claim is to investigate the person who filed the claim, or the claimant. It is the goal of the adjuster to do everything possible to find issue with the claim so that it can be legitimately denied or so that it can be approved at a lower amount than what was requested. This includes looking deep into your personal life to find anything that could show you lied about your injury. The adjuster will review all of your social media profiles and might even hire someone to trail you before and after work hours.
Determine a Settlement Value
Once the adjuster has done all of the work necessary to find information about your claim he or she will then determine a settlement value. This value could very well be much less than what you expect to receive. You can either accept the settlement value or decline it, hoping to win a higher award in court. Make sure you never accept a settlement offer from the insurance company without first speaking to a personal injury attorney about the case.
Contact an Experienced Attorney for an Appointment
Were you injured in a car accident or on someone else’s property? If so, it’s time to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney about your scenario. The sooner you schedule an appointment the sooner you will be able to defend your rights as a victim. Contact the team at David K. Wilson & Associates.