If a driver has been injured in an accident that was the fault of another motorist, then the same driver needs to get the name of that motorist’s insurance company. After obtaining that information, the injured party needs to call the responsible party’s insurance company.
Once that same insurance company receives that call, it puts the complaint in the proper file. Then it gives the same file to a selected adjuster. The adjuster’s level of experience reflects the seriousness of, or lack of severity in, the reported injuries.
The adjuster’s role
• Adjusters determine or settle claims. Each of them is expected to assess the extent of loss associated with the filed case that has come into their hands.
• Adjusters read the insured’s written report, if it is available. Once that report has been read, it becomes the adjuster’s job to contact the insured individual.
• Adjusters’ long list of tasks also includes a reading of the police report and then composition of a letter. That letter must be a response to the submitted statement from the claimant, the one that made clear the intention to file a claim.
• An adjuster’s experience should guide creation of that letter/response. It could include mention of the policy limits, depending on the location of the reported accident. Almost certainly, it would include a request for relevant documents, such as medical bills and a proof of earnings.
Adjusters’ approach to the necessary investigation of the claimant
Search online for any information that relates to the claimant’s injury. Study the insurance claims base, in order to see if the claimant has filed previous claims.
Send a request to the claimant. Ask for access to all of the injured party’s medical records. Seek a recorded statement from the claimant.
Tasks that follow the investigation
Determine the value of the reported injury. Some adjusters use that calculated value as a guide, when presenting an initial offer. Others prefer to give a low-ball offer. They negotiate a settlement with the claimant, or with the claimant’s lawyer. Those negotiations might include urgings, which are meant to encourage the rapid achievement of a settlement. Smart claimants ignore those same urgings and seek the assistance of Personal Injury Lawyer in Mississauga.
Any adjuster that has presented a low-ball offer could get a letter from the claimant. That would represent a request for information, concerning the reason for such a low offer. At some point, adjusters’ limitations lead to contact with the insurer. In that way, the same insurer might ok a possible figure to present, when settling the case. The claimant’s patience might get tested, while waiting word of that ok. Eventually the two sides settle on a figure. The claimant requests confirmation of the figure mentioned earlier on the phone.
