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Five Ways the Insurance Could Lowball Your Settlement Offer

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Filing an accident claim is the most logical step after you’ve been injured by another driver’s reckless actions, especially when medical bills, house expenses and additional costs start to leave a mark on your finances. Personal injury law is on your side, as it exists to prevent serious losses caused by someone else’s negligence. 

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for insurance companies. Adjusters may appear friendly and try to hide their true intentions, but maximizing profits while minimizing losses is their priority. Many drivers fall victim to lowballing strategies, which is why identifying the signs of an unjust offer before it’s too late is crucial if you want to receive a fair settlement. 

Holding You Responsible Unfairly

A common strategy used to lower your claim’s value is blaming you fully or partially for a collision. In many instances, adjusters will refuse to acknowledge the other driver as negligent, and may even go as far as accusing you of being distracted, which led to a preventable accident. 

If the evidence you gathered can stop them from doing so, they can still try to protect their profits by declaring both drivers (including the victim) liable for what happened. For this reason, talking with an accident lawyer who can present evidence in a convincing manner is essential after an accident. Don’t forget that a small mistake is all it takes to have your claim dismissed. 

Settling Immediately

It may seem convenient to settle as quickly as possible, especially when you’re dealing with the stress that comes with being injured, unable to work, and having to deal with an insurance claim. But receiving an offer immediately means that you’re possibly getting lowballed. 

Legal procedures need proper documentation which won’t be available in the moments following an accident. A good settlement offer will take into consideration the full extent of your injuries, which may be unknown until a week or more has passed since a road wreck took place, and examine all the property damage you’ve experienced as a result. 

It’s recommended to wait until you’ve obtained all the evidence necessary and to speak with qualified injury lawyers before accepting offers. 

Pressuring You to Settle

As soon as insurance companies notice that you’re not making mistakes and won’t let them decide your claim’s value, they may start to pressure you. Adjusters will tell you that rejecting offers is a waste of time, which means that you’ll start losing money and be unable to take care of your medical bills, and connecting with an attorney is not worth it. 

All they want is to stop you from obtaining the evidence and the help you need to discover that your claim is worth a lot more than what they’re currently offering. The best way to deal with this strategy is to be patient during negotiations. Don’t let calls, emails, and additional requests scare you into accepting an amount of money that won’t be sufficient to cover all your expenses. 

Silence

All disputes, including legal ones, are solved by communicating and reaching an agreement. If your claim could result in a large settlement, or all the aforementioned strategies have failed, it’s not rare for insurance companies to stop communicating with you. They know you could panic and be left with no other choice than to reach out and accept a lowball offer. 

Giving up or chasing them are mistakes you need to avoid at all costs. What you could do instead is proceed with a lawsuit, as adjusters don’t like to deal with a trial’s unpredictability. It’s impossible to ignore a formal request to show up in court and demonstrating that you won’t back down will increase your chances of receiving the compensation you deserve. 

Claiming Your Injuries Were Unrelated

Sometimes, medical documentation is not enough to convince insurance companies. They could be dismissive of your injuries and even go as far as saying they’re not the result of a car accident. Blaming your suffering on pre-existing conditions is a good way to reduce your settlement value and proceed with lowballing tactics. 

To defend your finances and your rights in this scenario, you can ask your doctor to release a formal statement describing how your injuries are compatible with the scene of an accident. Testimony from an expert witness can’t be discarded and treated like an irrelevant element, especially in a courtroom. 

Let Experienced Attorneys Guide You

Negotiating with adjusters is not something you should do alone, especially when bills keep piling up and you’re feeling unwell. An insurance company’s favorite victim is an individual who’s not aware of their case’s worth. 

Our experienced team at Spencer Calahan Injury Lawyers won’t let adjusters take advantage of you, as we know how to stop them from utilizing unfair strategies that will ruin your claim. Get in touch with us at 225-387-2323 or complete the contact form to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll be happy to discuss the details of your case.