Insurance Companies and Florida Truck Accidents
Try to avoid insurance claim adjusters’ tricks
In the days immediately following a bad truck accident, injured victims are often still in shock and pain. Whether you were in a jackknife on I4 or a head-on collision on SR 50, truck accident survivors should be using this time to focus on family and recovery. But recovering the compensation you deserve from the insurance company won’t be easy.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Central Florida truck accident, you don’t have to face the insurance companies alone. When the insurance companies try to lowball your settlement, The Cerasa Law Firm LLC will fight back for you.
The insurance companies know you probably don’t have much – or any – experience with injury law and high-stakes negotiations. Insurance adjusters are very clever when it comes to tripping up accident victims seeking compensation. Their goal is to get you to say or do something – anything – that they can later twist around to minimize or reject your claim.
There are often more people and companies liable for your injuries in a commercial vehicle accident than a passenger vehicle crash – and each will have their own insurance adjusters and lawyers.
Due to the complexity of trucking accidents, you may have to deal with more than just a few adjusters. Before you get in too deep with any of them, it is in your best interests to consult a knowledgeable Orlando lawyer.
If you’re ready to talk about your accident claim, a member of our legal team is ready to listen. Our firm offers free case consultations to truck accident victims.
In the meantime, here are some insurance adjuster best practices and strategies designed to gain your trust and encourage claim-ending statements.
Insurance company tricks
Know-it-all
Insurance adjusters want you to think that they are the authority on your policy and what your claim is worth, but a policy is a contract and like any other contract, it is open to interpretation. Truck accident attorney Michael Cerasa’s understanding of your policy and what you are entitled is likely to be different than the adjuster’s.
Fast-moving
Insurance adjusters will begin investigating your claim as soon as possible. They are aware that, over time, evidence dries up, witnesses get fuzzy on details, and documents can be misplaced, among other information loss.
They also know that the longer you go without agreeing to a settlement, the more likely you are to learn that many lawyers, including Attorney Cerasa, represent most accident victims on contingency.
Best buddies
Insurance adjusters know that if they approach you in a friendly manner and can relate with you on a personal level, human nature will kick in and you will be more likely to trust them and give them the information they need to minimize your claim.
People often instinctively trust others who are like themselves, work in the same field, have had similar life experiences, etc. So, expect your adjuster to be great at small talk and to “coincidentally” have something in common with you.
Evaluation
The focus of an insurance adjuster’s claim evaluation is to find all the arguments they can make against fulfilling the promises their policies made. Among the reasons an insurance adjuster might give to justify the denial of your valid injury claim are:
- Delayed accident notice
- Policy limits
- Fraud or lying accusations
- Alleged policy violations
- Claims that you misrepresented your injuries or property loss and
- Alleged concealment of facts
- Say it again
To justify a small payout, insurance adjusters often look for discrepancies in your statements. They want to make you appear confused or untrustworthy. That is why many insurance adjusters will ask you multiple versions of the same question. They are hoping you will alter your answer, even slightly.
It’s an effective tactic. It is human nature to vary how we speak. People don’t usually talk in repeated word-for-word phrases.
It’s also natural to add details to your account of the events as you remember them. An adjuster might notice the added detail and accuse you of previously withholding information or making up new information.
Get Cerasa. Get results.
Attorney Cerasa understands how uncertain life is for accident victims and that your future will be greatly affected by the final settlement.
Our firm will work hard to find every piece of evidence necessary to build you a strong strategy designed to break down the insurance company’s objections and get you all the money you need for immediate and long-term accident recovery.
Contact us today for a free case consultation and get a better understanding of what your claim is worth.