The insurance adjuster is asking me for information and wants to meet, why?
Plant Quinn Thiele LLP - Ottawa Personal Injury Lawyers
Think meeting the insurance adjuster wihout a lawyer is a good idea? Think again. Why do they want to meet?
It is the insurance adjuster's job to find ways to reduce your case or get rid of it entirely. The more documents they have the more chances they will find something to hang their hat on to deny or reduce your claim.
Insurance adjusters much prefer dealing with injured persons who don't have a lawyer. Why do you think they call you the same or day after you are injured? They want to get to you before you know your rights and interests and BEFORE you speak to a lawyer who can offer guidance to you in relation to your rights and the claims process. They want to control the file, and more importantly, control the evidence. They are not your lawyer and have no duty to you. Their business card says "Adjuster" for the insurer, not lawyer for you. They represent the opposing party's insurer, not you! Their job is not to give you legal advice, but to investigate the accident. Adjusters know how to manipulate you. The moment you retain an experienced PQTLaw personal injury lawyer, that manipulation stops.
Don't believe us? Try this. When the adjuster calls to meet with you and obtain a written statement and authorization to obtain information from your doctors and your employer, ask them if you can meet with the owner of the property where you fell or the driver that hit you so you can ask them questions and obtain a written statement. The answer will be - are you crazy? No way. It's a one way street.
The less an adjuster pays on a claim, the better for their career. Insurers make millions and millions of dollars in profit every year. They are corporations who's primary focus is profit, profit and profit. The longer you don't know your rights and interests, the more serious damage can be done to your claim. Insurance adjusters receive training and have experience in assessing and investigating claims.
Our experience is that by the time the insurance adjuster is willing to make an offer to settle your claim, given the admissions you may have made, they offer pennies on the dollar.
Why? You dug your own grave - you provided the insurer with a written statement or recorded statement - you provided the insurer with access to all your records, medical, financial or etc - you took no steps to preserve your evidence - you took no steps to obtain your own witness statements - you took no steps to obtain a lawyer to know your rights, interests and risks - and so on... Your case has been destroyed. By the time an offer is made, if one is even made, the insurance adjuster has potentially harmful documents, information and tons of reasons to justify making no offer or making a ridiculously low offer.
Call us at 613-563-1131, Marc-Nicholas Quinn, Plant Quinn Thiele, LLP - OttawaPersonal Injury Lawyers
--- mailto:mquinn@pqtlaw.com" mquinn@pqtlaw.com
