Dealing with Aggressive Insurance Adjusters
As we mentioned above, insurance adjusters involved with motorcycle accident claims are under a vast amount of pressure from their insurance company to deny a claim, because a massive amount of money is potentially on the line should that claim be awarded to the victim. So the adjuster won’t care how badly the victim is hurt. Compassion is not necessarily one of an adjuster’s strong points. The only thing he or she cares about is denying the claim and saving the insurance company’s bottom line. That adjuster might even be more motivated to do so because often in cases like these, insurance companies will offer an adjuster a significant bonus or raise if he or she is successful. No matter what the motivation, that adjuster’s interests will be diametrically opposed to yours or that of your family. They will, as a result, often use some formidable tactics in their pursuit of victory.
For example, an adjuster will try and shift blame away from the defendant he or she represents and onto another party such as the victim. If the majority of the fault can be placed on the victim, the case will be dismissed. If that blame can be shifted to other parties then the insurance company won’t have to pay as much in restitution. It follows logically, then, that insurance adjusters will act in an extremely aggressive manner in order to shift blame from their clients. Adjusters commonly badger motorcycle accident injury victims with a barrage of questions designed to trick the victim into saying something that will make it seem like he or she was to blame for the accident. The conversation will be recorded and later dissected so that whatever missteps the victim may make will be used against him or her during a trial. They may, for example, try and trip up the victim regarding his or her recollection of the accident and later use that to dispute the validity of the victim’s memory regarding the accident. And to make matters worse, the defense attorneys will conduct a detailed investigation of the accident, and the adjuster can use that evidence to further damage the victim’s case. If you do not act quickly in procuring legal representation that can conduct an investigation on your behalf, you are playing with a deck that is severely stacked against you. If you cannot produce evidence that can offset and defeat that of the defense, you stand basically no chance of winning.
Adjusters use another tactic that is just as aggressive, and much more insidious. In order to try and save the insurance company some money, adjusters often make injury victims or the grieving family members of a deceased motorcyclist a settlement offer designed to bring quick cash. The majority of the time, however, this settlement offer comes with forms that the victim or victim’s family must sign in order to get the money. This is a shrewd, calculated, and cost-effective move because it will be a low-ball offer. It will be very tempting to take to most victims, but it won’t come close to being fair. If you accept this offer, however, you forfeit the right to sue the defendant at a later date in an attempt to get more money. You are basically signing away your rights. But it happens all too often; when insurance adjusters get to a victim before that victim has consulted with an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer, that adjuster has a great chance of shortchanging the victim and protecting the insurance carrier’s profit margin. If the insurance company cannot get the case dismissed entirely, this is often their second-best option. More on this website
