Lowballing Techniques Used by Claims Adjusters

A knowledgeable accident lawyer in Orange Park will keep you informed about dishonest schemes an insurance adjuster may use to lower the value of your case.

Your Employment and Earning Status

Your accident lawyer in Orange Park will warn you that a claims representative may probe into your employment history, knowing that unemployed or low-income claimants need money and are more likely to accept a low settlement offer.

Your Appeal to the Jury

Some claims adjusters will make an effort to ascertain your social status. Most juries dislike privileged individuals and are averse to rewarding them with huge settlements. If you are wealthy or belong to the upper class, the adjuster will have an advantage.

Do You Suffer From a Terminal Illness?

Your accident lawyer in Orange Park will clarify that your claim for general damages for pain and suffering is only applicable to you. The claim will usually end when you succumb to your illness, and surviving family members or heirs will not be able to claim your damages. With this in mind, many claims representatives will try to determine whether you have an incurable or fatal illness. If you are unlikely to survive the drawn-out litigation process, the claims representative has little incentive to offer you a maximum amount.

Lies About Internal Policy

A claims representative may insist to you and your accident lawyer in Orange Park that the insurance company’s internal policy precludes certain damages. But a good accident lawyer in Orange Park will rightly counter that such a policy is a flagrant violation of good faith claims practices. Your accident lawyer in Orange Park should see through this deception and recognize that the damages ruled out by the claims representative are typically covered by insurance policy. Some examples of the supposedly excluded damages are:

Lost wages

Any insurance company acting in good faith will not neglect to cover your lost wages. Your accident attorney in Orange Park will explain to you that lost wages are proximate cause damages and that you must be compensated for income you lost when you missed work to figure out the estimate for the wrecked vehicle, and taking it to and from a body shop.

Transportation costs

Travel expenses, notably transportation costs incurred by visits to a doctor’s office, are an integral part of the claim, and therefore considered proximate cause damages.

Long distance phone bills

An accident attorney in Orange Park will remind you that if the claims office is not local, then any long distance calls made to the office are also proximate cause damages.

Court costs for minors represented by attorneys

If an insurance company earns a minor’s compromise that benefits them exclusively, the court cost incurred is considered proximate cause damages as well as a cost of business that the insurance industry should cover. Children represented by legal counsel do not have to pay such costs.

If the minor did not retain an accident attorney in Orange Park, the insurance company is required to pay for both the children’s attorney’s fees and the court fee to obtain the minor’s compromise by superior court. It is well-known fact that the insurance company will discriminate against children who are already represented by attorneys.