If you were to add an uninsured motorist option to your insurance policy, and if you were then hit by an uninsured driver, you would need to file a 1st party claim. As a result, you would need to deal with the adjuster in your own insurance company.
What you should do when taking the adjuster’s initial call?
• Get the name of the caller, along with his/her telephone number.
• Cooperate with any reasonable requests; you have made a contract with your insurance company.
• Take notes; record what you said and what the caller said.
Actions to take either before or after call:
Collect the relevant evidence; that should help to establish your claim.
Send adjuster demand letter
—Describe reported injuries: What you have learned by going to scheduled treatment sessions.
—Describe the nature of the treatment.
—Offer details on the value of your lost wages.
Take notes after responding to any other calls; keep reviewing your notes.
Consult with and hire a personal injury lawyer in Kanata.
Understand how you should proceed if negotiations happen to break down, or reach stalemate.
Demonstrate an attitude of determination
—Ask for an explanation, concerning the adjuster’s refusal to continue his/her participation in the negotiating process
—If you do not receive an explanation, report the adjuster’s stubborn attitude to the appropriate supervisor.
—If the supervisor fails to demonstrate a readiness to force changes in the adjuster’s methods for negotiating, take stronger action.
Speak with your hired attorney, in order to learn the suggested nature for your stronger action.
—You may need to report your situation to your State’s agency for oversight of insurance companies.
—You should encourage the desired action from the insurance company, just by making your report.
What actions should all claimants avoid taking?
No claimant should accept the first offer from the insurance company. Some adjusters make a habit of coming forward with a low-ball offer/bid. That action represents an effort at assessing the claimant’s level of desperation. In other words, some adjusters like to see how willing an injured victim might be to accept any bid, even a small one.
No one that has chosen to negotiate with the insurance company should introduce a new demand before learning the adjuster’s response to the earlier demand.
All personal injury lawyers in Kanata warn their clients against taking part in negotiations until that same client has managed to arrive at the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI). The physician that is treating an injured client should tell that same patient/client when he/she has managed to reach the point of MMI.
Ideally negotiations end with a settlement. Yet the victim/claimant will not receive the money promised in settlement terms until he/she has agreed to sign a release form.