After encountering an auto accident or any injury during work, your next step would be filing for a settlement with your insurance company. Negotiations with your insurance company will not be a walk in the garden, and you must start preparing to fight for it.
After an unfortunate event, your next step should be claiming your damages, especially to cover all expenses. However, your insurance company may be reluctant to hear you or try to find your fault. In that case, negotiation is vital in providing you with your claim. However, before proceeding with negotiations, you should know some tips and critical areas where you can negotiate strongly.
What Is The Role Of Insurance Adjusters?
An insurance adjuster is a legal person working on behalf of the insurance company and against you. The adjuster’s job is to examine and study the damages done during the event, who is responsible, and the company’s final liability.
An adjuster’s work ensures that the company’s liability is at its lowest and will investigate the whole matter. According to the findings of an adjuster, you will be granted your claim. The investigation is done in three phases, including,
- An investigation will be conducted at the scene of the accident, and all people present will be interviewed.
- The damages occurred in the accident.
- Examining all reports and determining the actual liability.
However, knowing some tips will help you get a fair settlement.
Calculating The Settlement Amount
Before filing your claim to your insurance company, you should start with analyzing the damages done and calculating the amount you want for your settlement. You need to have related documents of the damage to calculate the final settlement amount and present it to your insurance agent with all supporting documents. Negotiation with your insurance company can be challenging, but with an amount on your mind, you can negotiate it better.
Hiring A Strong Attorney
Negotiating a compensation claim is not easy, but a solid attorney on your side makes it easier. Hire a lawyer who will fight for you and help you settle the best claim amount provided by the adjuster. It is better when two legal parties are fighting than you alone negotiating with them, which might land you with a lower compensation amount that does not meet your losses. When you are going for a compensation claim, it is crucial to have an attorney on your side to take you through the process and land you the best compensation amount.
Think Before Accepting The First Offer
The insurance adjuster will offer you the first settlement offer after investigating your case and going to your claim papers. There might be a case that this offer does not come close to your settlement amount and the damages you incurred. In that case, you should reject the first offer made and demand a better settlement amount. An adjuster is an experienced negotiator and will offer you the lowest possible amount at first to minimize the company’s liability. You should not accept this offer and negotiate back and counter offer.
Hire a reputed attorney to represent you in your compensation claim and guide you through the procedures.