Personal Injury and Bad First Dates: What Do They Have in Common?

Knowing how to handle insurance adjusters after an accident could be the difference between a fair settlement and walking away with almost nothing. Talking to an insurance adjuster before consulting a personal injury lawyer is like going on a bad first date. You walk in expecting a fair conversation, only to realize the other person has a completely different agenda. Like a bad first date, things seem promising. The person says all the right things; on the phone, via his or her or their profile, and in written communication. It seems like a certain match.

And those first communications lure you in and make you believe things are going to be great.

Until reality strikes and you notice they don’t look like their picture, they have nothing in common with you, and are four inches shorter and thirty pounds bulkier than promised.

Similarly, personal injury cases can be like this if you work with an insurance claims adjuster yourself, without the benefit of a lawyer to represent your interests.

Promises Promises

It’s not just a song from the 80s by Naked Eyes.

Adjusters have a massive amount of data, access to all sorts of information you don’t even know exists.

That “friendly” seeming phone call asking if you’re alright is not a friendly conversation. Because they are NOT your friend. They get bonuses for the less they pay out on claims. And everything you say (and everything they induce you to say with their carefully crafted questions and demeanors) is designed to FIND A WAY to decline your case, or at least diminish significantly its value.

Heck, some less ethical companies actually send adjusters to the scene of your crash with a release and a check for damages. You won’t even realize you’ve just signed your case away and finalized a settlement before you even saw a doctor!

The Slimy Ways of Insurance Adjusters and Bad First Dates

They both make you feel like you are the most important person in the world.

They treat you nicely at first.

They let you talk a lot about yourself.

Everything they do is designed to let your guard down, make you reveal information you wish you had not, and will be used against you.

For example, that “friendly” adjuster asking if you are okay really wants you to admit you are “just sore” or “it doesn’t seem serious” or “I’m not sure if I’ll see a doctor because they are expensive” is getting information he or she (or they) can and will use to limit your recovery.

So if you have that conversation the day of or the day after your crash, wait a week and notice you’re really in pain, and then go to a doctor, it’s going to be used to point out you didn’t see a doctor right away. You didn’t take off work right away. The police offered to call the ambulance but you declined. All of these are big mistakes people make all the time!

Much like bad first dates, you can avoid an insurance adjuster taking advantage of you in a vulnerable situation by not getting into that situation in the first place.

Don’t talk to the insurance adjuster. At all. Ever. Hire a personal injury lawyer right away.

Get medical treatment. Immediately.

If you have the opportunity to take an ambulance, do it.

Never give a recorded statement. To anyone.

Not a Friend or a Frenemy

A friend or a frenemy is someone you know well, for better or worse.

An insurance adjuster has one job, which is to pay as little as possible. Their entire existence revolves around getting people to say things they don’t even realize harm their case. Like saying “I feel fine,” or “I’m not sure if I’ll see a doctor,” or “I didn’t see what happened. It might have been my fault.”

Don’t answer the phone. Don’t swipe right. Don’t agree to meet at Dave and Buster’s if you hate that place. And don’t assume someone looks like their picture from a decade ago.

Takeaways

• Personal injury cases and bad first dates have much in common
• Knowing how to handle insurance adjusters after an accident starts with understanding they are not on your side.
• Insurance adjusters are in the business of finding ways to deny your claim or diminish its value
• Lawyers know the system and protect you from adjusters, and often from your polite instincts

Contact Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Stephen Hoffman

If you have been injured, whether by an auto accident, bike or pedestrian crash, dog bite, work accident, or medical malpractice, seek medical attention immediately. Report accidents to the police and your own insurance company, or to your employer if you were injured at work. Then contact a lawyer with experience in your type of injury matter.

If you're unsure how to handle insurance adjusters after an accident, Stephen can help protect your rights and your recovery. Call him at (773) 944-9737. Stephen has over 35 years of legal experience and gets results; he has collected millions of dollars for his satisfied clients. He is listed as a SuperLawyer, has a 10.0 rating on Avvo, and is BBB A+ accredited. Stephen is also an Executive Level Member of the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce.

Stephen handles injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing up front, and Stephen only gets paid if you do. You have only a limited time to file a claim, so don’t wait another day; contact Stephen now to get started putting your life back together.