Little-Known Facts About Case Evaluation
Posted Wednesday, October 28, 2015 by Chris Thayer
When an insurance adjuster is reviewing a personal injury claim to determine the initial settlement strategy, there are certain factors that an accident lawyer Seattle WA knows that they specifically look for.
Some of these are not surprising, such as the claimant’s past medical bills related to the injury or the claimant’s lost wages from having to take time off to recover. Most claimants would expect the insurance adjuster to take these into account. However, there are some more obscure factors that you might not assume would be taken into account.
It’s important to understand that personal injury claims are complex, and any piece of information might be relevant to the insurer’s strategy.
- Amount of time between the accident and injury report. This might seem irrelevant to you, but adjusters (and often juries) care about how long it took a claimant to report to a hospital after sustaining an injury. A gap of a few days or longer will be scrutinized closely.
- Your prior medical history: Yes, even your medical records and claim history from before the current incident might be looked at.
Adjusters are on the lookout for serial claimants who have a habit of filing expensive personal injury claims and demanding large settlements. If the insurer suspects it is dealing with such a claimant, it may arrange to have surveillance done on you to determine if you are as affected by your injuries as your claim. Many insurers even have in-house investigation units for just this purpose. Make sure you can explain any prior injuries you have sustained or personal injury claims you have filed.
Talk to an Accident Lawyer Seattle WA
Finding out what is important in a personal injury claim and what is irrelevant can be difficult. Talk to an accident lawyer at Chris Thayer for any questions you have about making an injury claim.