Anyone who has gone through the experience of the Texas personal injury claims process will quickly tell you that dealing with insurance adjusters can be frustrating and confusing. Not only will the required paperwork be confusing, but the conversations you will have with some insurance adjusters can be stressful and overwhelming, as it may seem as if the adjuster does not have your best interests in mind. After a collision with a big rig, immediately contacting a leading truck accident lawyer is the smart move.
Most adjusters will do their job fairly and decently, but it is important to know how some adjusters work. An adjuster collects all the details of a case and determines its value. An adjuster also has the responsibility of paying a policyholder a low dollar amount. Insurance companies and adjusters always attempt to convince personal injury victims, even those who have been seriously injured, not to hire one of the best 18-wheeler accident attorneys.
If you are a victim, insurance companies and adjusters will hope to convince you not to seek help from elite attorneys experienced in big rig cases because they know it will cost them much more to settle your case.
Insurance adjusters may make various comments during your conversations, like:
All these statements could be made to convince you that an attorney will not have your best interests in mind. Unfortunately, these conversations will often take place when your stress is greatest, and you are incurring significant medical expenses and other damages. In short, the adjuster is playing you and hopes you don’t hire an attorney.
Many personal injury victims do not understand the consequences of settling with the negligent parties’ insurance provider, such as how it can impact a current or future workers’ compensation claim and payments/reimbursements for medical bills. Insurance companies, especially those covering trucking companies, are in the habit of being reasonable and fair but only of saving their company money.
If an insurance company can pay pennies on the dollar and obtain a release from you, they will do so without giving it a second thought. Insurance companies will want to save as much money as possible on an insurance claim, and there will be no regard for the distressed position it leaves you in.
It is important to remember that the job of an adjuster is to reduce claims and increase profits for the insurance company. The company will still attempt to do everything they can to devalue your case and your settlement. An adjuster may even tell you that the offer on the table is the only one you will receive. Or suggest things like:
The adjuster may also tell you that you will have to go to court if you do not accept the offer. However, most accident cases do not actually go to trial. However, when a case does go to trial, it can be also be incredibly expensive for an insurance company. Worse for the company, if the truck driver or his company have violated federal regulations the insurer could get smacked hard by a Texas jury.
An adjuster can be pushy in trying to get you to give a recorded statement. An adjuster may also request you to give them permission to view your medical records. These tactics can be used against you to decrease your claim and deny all or a significant portion of it. This may seem harmless to you at first since you have nothing to hide.
However, there are various ways for adjusters to sneak in questions that can be easily taken out of context. If you are asked how you are feeling at the start of your recorded statement, and you reply, “I am fine”, this could be used against you because the adjuster can make it seem as if your injuries are not serious. Also, questions about how the accident happened can be structured to take advantage of you and solely for use against you. Things like:
Each of the above and many others are designed to be used against you if the case does not settle and used to reduce or deny the claim. Don’t short yourself. At the minimum, take advantage of a FREE consultation with a big truck accident attorney.
Adjusters are trained negotiators who have learned how to offer a low initial settlement to find out if a personal injury victim will accept it. We understand how intimidating it can be to negotiate, but you should not be afraid to do so. Hiring a premier Texas truck wreck attorney from our firm to negotiate on your behalf can give you the leverage you need to maximize your damages. Study after study has proven those with skilled lawyers net more money than those who handle the claim on their own. The more serious your injuries and damages are, the more the best attorneys can help you get more money in your pocket.
Adjusters will attempt to prevent you from hiring an attorney by telling you that you will reduce your financial recovery by hiring an attorney. This is false. An experienced truck accident injury law firm will work hard to earn the fee by increasing the overall value of your serious personal injury case while putting more money in your pocket and decreasing the amount of work you will have to do. Hiring a leading attorney for a commercial vehicle accident will allow you to focus on the healing process and not the claim.
The unethical tactics that some insurance companies and adjusters use to scare personal injury victims, trying to convince them that they do not need an attorney, should be a major red flag. If an adjuster tries to convince you that you do not need the services of an attorney, this should indicate there is something more to your case. Adjusters are fully aware that when a preeminent truck accident lawyer is involved, they will know the real value of your case.
One of the most common calls we get from personal injury victims after being injured in a truck accident comes just after they discussed money with the adjuster for the first time. Most are shocked at the low-ball offer. Unfortunately, by then, much damage had already been done to their case. They have given a statement and let important evidence slide and may not have tended to their medical care as needed. Some had not thought about hospital liens or payback to their health insurance company. The second most common call we get sometime after the wreck is someone trying to upgrade lawyers because they did not do the research to find the best truck accident lawyer near them.
We have been handling personal injury truck accident cases for over three decades. our track record of success is unmatched in Texas. We have never lost a Truck accident case. We have recovered millions for our clients and have a long list of multi-million-dollar settlements from semi-truck accidents. Here is how we approach the cases we accept:
Sometimes, some of the most compelling evidence of negligence after a big rig accident is unknown at the time of the crash. Even investigating officers can fail to discover important evidence such as cheating on long books, the unsafe condition of the rig, and other violations of the trucking safety regulations. We maintain a quick response team solely to be able to jump on an investigation quickly before important evidence gets away. Our depth of experience covers hundreds of truck accidents over decades.
We will thoroughly investigate your accident, retain needed experts, and take steps to ensure that the important and critical evidence to prove your case does not get away.
After you are done treating with a physician, we will obtain your medical records from that facility in appropriate legal form and present them to the insurance carrier for evaluation. If you have health insurance, we will work with your health insurance company to reduce the amount that must be paid back out of the settlement.
If you do not have health insurance, we will work with you to help you obtain necessary medical treatment without having to pay out of your pocket of front.
We will negotiate with the insurance company for the truck driver and fight for maximum compensation for you. If we are unable to resolve your claims for an amount that is fair to you before a lawsuit is filed, we will file a lawsuit. We have been helping families obtain maximum compensation from truck accident injuries and the loss of loved ones for 35 years and counting.
Our truck accident lawyers in Houston have decades of experience in dealing with insurance companies and the adjusters they employ. The insurers who write most of the truck company policies know us well. They do not want you to hire us for a reason. We Maximize your in-pocket compensation. We know the tactics of insurance companies, and we know your rights as the personal injury victim.
If you were injured in Texas and want to obtain the settlement you deserve, call (281) 893-0760 for a free consultation.
Related Resources:
Can I Trust The Adjuster After An Injury Truck Accident?
5 tactics used by adjusters after a truck wreck
Should I Release My Medical Records After a Truck Accident Injury?
Was The Trucking Company’s Negligent Hiring of a Truck Driver a Cause of Your Accident?
How to Settle Your Car Accident Injury Claim Without an Attorney
Can I get Punitive Damages After a Truck Wreck?
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