If you have been the victim of a car accident, you are probably feeling confused, stressed, and overwhelmed.\u00a0Because of these swirling emotions victims of car accidents are vulnerable, and often times an insurance adjuster will take advantage of this emotional fragility in an effort to settle a claim for less money that is deserved.<\/p>\n
To be fair, not all insurance adjusters will contact the victim of a car crash quickly after the accident and offer to settle.\u00a0 Not all will treat the victim with respect and appear to be helpful and supportive.\u00a0 In fact, often the adverse insurance adjusters will seem to add insult to injury and cause you, the victim, even more stress and anxiety by requiring that you provide them with a recorded statement, sign medical releases, transport your vehicle to their shop of choice, attend a medical exam by a doctor of their selection and other similarly disconcerting activities.\u00a0 They will run the gamut from cajoling to threatening.\u00a0 They may even coerce.<\/p>\n
All of these activities are in the name of saving money. The sooner after the accident you settle the claim, the more likely you settle it for a lot less than your claim is worth.\u00a0 It also will likely\u00a0result in you not receiving all of the medical treatment you need,\u00a0or enough time off from work to allow your injuries to properly heal.\u00a0 The sooner you settle your claim the less likely you are to know the full extent of your injuries and subsequent medical treatment.<\/p>\n
For example, let\u2019s say a few days following your car accident you began to feel pain in your neck.\u00a0 You visit your doctor who prescribes medication as well as physical therapy.\u00a0 You follow the doctor\u2019s advice, take the medication and commence physical therapy.\u00a0 At about the same time, the friendly concerned insurance adjuster contacts you to commiserate and offer apologies for their insured\u2019s actions.\u00a0 They are sorry to hear you were injured and are there to help you through this difficult process.\u00a0\u00a0They assure you that they will pay the medical bills for the treatment you need<\/p>\n
Now, in addition to \u201call they have done\u201d they are prepared to offer you more; they want to compensate you for your pain and suffering.\u00a0\u00a0 They understand you are hurt, that you are getting treatment and may even be off work.\u00a0 They are encouraging and are certain you will be better in just a short while.\u00a0 In the meantime, they want to send you a check for $500, $1,000, maybe even $2,000 to settle your bodily injury claim.\u00a0 You must need the money, they confide, to buy groceries, pay the rent, and fuel the car.\u00a0 In fact, they are counting on your financial desperation in accepting their offer.\u00a0\u00a0Reluctantly, you accept.\u00a0 You receive the settlement check, sign the release of claims and return it to them.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, your medical condition does not improve and you require a surgical consultation.\u00a0 Now you discover that you will require surgery to repair your damaged disc.\u00a0 You will also likely miss several weeks from work.\u00a0 You call the friendly insurance claims adjuster and plead your case.\u00a0 You explain that you will need additional funds to cover all the expenses you will incur, to say nothing of the additional pain and suffering you continue to endure.\u00a0 After\u00a0leaving several messages, the adjuster finally returns your call. S\/he explains that you have already been compensated for this claim, accepted their money and signed their release.\u00a0 They will NOT\u00a0be paying anything more on your case.\u00a0 Sorry and good luck.\u00a0\u00a0Then the line goes dead.<\/p>\n
As the above scenario reveals,\u00a0if you settle your claim early you are likely undermining your rights and jeopardizing your future benefits.\u00a0 After a car accident, many insurance adjusters will want to settle with you early for exactly that reason.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t let this scenario happen to you.\u00a0 Empower yourself with knowledge.\u00a0 A consultation with our firm is\u00a0free.\u00a0 Find out where you stand and what your options are.\u00a0 Remember, the insurance adjuster for the other car is NOT on your side!<\/p>\n
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If you have been the victim of a car accident, you are probably feeling confused, stressed, and overwhelmed.\u00a0Because of these swirling emotions victims of car accidents are vulnerable, and often times an insurance adjuster will take advantage of this emotional fragility in an effort to settle a claim for less money that is deserved. To […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_angie_page":false,"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-accident"],"yoast_head":"\n