How Insurance Adjusters Try To Reduce Payments

Thursday, August 19, 2021

How Insurance Adjusters Try To Reduce Payments

Written by Malman Law, reviewed by Steve J. Malman.

Insurance policies exist so injury victims can recover benefits in the event of a car crash or another type of accident. But what if an insurer doesn’t cooperate? Seek help from a Chicago personal injury lawyer right away. 

According to government estimates, roughly 95- to 96 percent of personal injury cases are settled pretrial. This means that people reach settlement agreements directly with insurance companies instead of taking the case to court for a jury to decide. 

While the goal is often to obtain a fair settlement straight from an insurance company, these companies will be trying to reduce your payment as much as possible. This is because the lower your payment, the greater the company’s profits will be. Many insurance adjusters are trained in tactics aimed to reduce payments to injured claimants. Even your own insurer might be motivated to pull out all the stops to get you a lower settlement than you deserve. 

Below, we discuss three tricks of the trade insurers might use to do so, and you should never hesitate to speak with a Chicago personal injury lawyer about your claim.

They May Try To Dispute Your Story

All insurance, but particularly the opposition’s insurance, could have incentives to make your claim sound less credible. They might attempt to argue that:

• You hold a majority of the fault for the car accident or another type of accident that occurred
• You’re overstating the liable party’s liability
• The policyholder was not the liable party
• Your injuries didn’t result from the accident
• Your injuries didn’t cause as many damages as you claim

These are some common arguments that injured claimants face, and the right attorney will know how to present evidence to support your claim and refute the insurance adjuster’s challenges to your claim. 

They Will Try To Start With A Lower Offer Than Desired

At the end of the day, insurance is a business much like any other business. They have an active economic incentive to maintain their bottom line, and the company often tries to do so at the expense of your financial situation.

Adjusters often attempt to argue for a settlement price lower than what your claim is actually worth, knowing that it can be capped at that lower price. If you’re an injured claimant, we recommend never accepting such first offers until you can have them reviewed by an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer.

They Could Drag The Process Out Longer Than Desired

Most insurers know that you’ll want your expenses covered as soon as possible, so some insurers may try to deliberately prolong your settlement process in the hopes that you’re pressured to take one of the first (lower) offers.

Do not cave to this pressure, especially if the insurer is violating Illinois insurance laws. If your insurers fail to properly process your claim, a legal professional can take steps to prevent unnecessary delays or other bad faith practices and seek the compensation you deserve as soon as possible. 

Learn How a Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help

At Malman Law, we help with every step of the insurance process so you can have your injury-related losses covered. If necessary, we will not hesitate to escalate your case to civil court if an insurance company does not cooperate. Contact our Chicago personal injury lawyers today to find out how they can help settle your contentious insurance claim.