Maison Law’s team of Bakersfield personal injury lawyers represents injury victims in any type of accident. One of the most important people you’ll have to deal with in these situations is an insurance adjuster. Contact us today to set up a free consultation to talk about your options and how we can help you talk with them.
What is an Insurance Adjuster?
Every insurance company has its own unique roster of people, but at its most basic, there are certain people in charge of looking over your claim and ultimately shepherding it through the process. Known as insurance adjusters, they have a lot of power. Generally, it’s their job to do the following:
- Reviewing claims and gathering evidence
- Calculating appropriate settlement amounts
- Contacting witnesses, doctors or employers for additional information
- Negotiating settlements
- Approving payments
While the adjuster has a lot of power over the process, that doesn’t mean that you can’t put forth an effort to make your case. In fact, whenever you get hurt in an accident that’s someone else’s fault, you have the law and facts on your side. But you still have to make your case, and that starts with going against the adjuster.
How Can You Confront an Insurance Adjuster?
There’s many different ways to look at your communication with an insurance adjuster. You could look at it as if it’s your story against theirs, or it could be that they’re simply trying to figure out what happened.
Regardless, you’re going to have to talk with them at some point. As such, the best way to approach these conversations is to stick to the facts of what happened. Again, if the accident was largely the fault of their insured, you have the facts on your side. Still, you’ll need to do a few things to strengthen your claim and make the process work for you:
- Stay calm and composed.
- Present your case with clear evidence and documentation.
- Ask questions to understand their assessment and process.
- Ask them for clarification or explanations when needed.
- Be assertive with your rights in a polite, but firm way.
- Be prepared to negotiate and compromise.
- Document all communication and interactions for future reference.
Do You Need a Lawyer?
Whether or not you need a lawyer depends on your needs. Being hurt in an accident is often difficult enough on its own, so when you think about also having to deal with an insurance company and go through the claims process, it can be overwhelming.
This is where our team comes in. We believe in giving you personal attention that fits your needs. With our know-how and plan, we can make a strong case to get you a fair settlement. Here’s how we can help you:
- Experience – Our lawyers know how insurance companies work. We know how to boost your chances of a fair deal.
- Valuing your claim – Insurance companies often try to pay as little as possible. Our lawyers understand the law and can figure out what your claim is really worth. We’ll gather strong evidence to back you up and fight to get you the most money possible.
- Standing up for your rights – Insurance companies have their own team to protect their side. But with our lawyers, your rights are protected too. We stand up for you, handle any unfair tricks from the insurance company, and work hard to get you a fair deal.
- Making things easier – Negotiating with insurance can be stressful, especially when you’re trying to heal from an injury. Our lawyers handle all the talking and paperwork for you, so you can focus on getting better.
How is a Settlement Calculated?
Determining how much your claim is worth depends on what happened in the accident. Every case is different, but insurance companies look at some common things to decide how much to give you:
- How bad your injuries are.
- Which parts of your body got hurt.
- If you have scars or disfigurement that might make you sad or upset.
- If you’ll fully get better from your injuries.
- If the injuries make it hard to enjoy life.
- How your family is affected.
- Your job and how the injury affects your pay or ability to earn money in the future.
Insurance companies have to pay for any damage their customer causes in a car accident. But they usually want to pay as little as possible. Their tactics, though, only work if you let them. By working with our team, we can make sure your claim for damages is as strong as possible. With our experience and approach, you can potentially get back:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life or companionship
- Wrongful death expenses if the accident is fatal
How Can Maison Law Help Me After a Bakersfield Accident?
At Maison Law, our team of Bakersfield personal injury lawyers is here to help people who have been hurt. We focus on giving legal support that fits your situation. With our know-how in dealing with insurance companies and how they try to pay you less, we can fight back on your behalf. This puts you in a better spot to get the damages you need to recover from your injuries.
Contact us today to set up a free consultation to get the process started.
